Impact of Floods in Pakistan: Historical and Socio-Economic Perspective (1970-2010)

Abstract

The present study is an effort to put in plain words a concise chronological analysis of the shocking impact of floods caused by massive flooding striking the land mass of Pakistan with regular intervals. The majority of the major inundations in the history of Pakistan resulted in serious socio-economic damages and destructions to the most valuable and precious assets of the country. The study also scans the scope of previous efforts put by other scholars correlated with the impact of floods in Pakistan. The outcomes of merciless floods all over the country were assessed quantitatively of last 37 years (1973-2010). Pakistan has faced 17 floods of various magnitudes- 1973,1975,1976,1977,1978,1982, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010, among which around 50 percent were considered as major floods. This is first time in the history of Pakistan that socio-economic impact of floods have been comprehensively determined and analyzed from most of the available authentic resources. Recommendations have been made to ensure adequate and detailed availability of flooding events and to prevent huge damages in the future.