90% of people surveyed by Islamic Relief face long-term food shortages and three quarters do not have access to safe drinking water
A new assessment by Islamic Relief lays bare the devastating long-term impact of the Pakistan floods on people’s food supplies and livelihoods.
The assessment was based on interviews with affected communities in Balochistan and Sindh, as well as information from Islamic Relief’s flood response that has so far reached 30,000 people with emergency aid such as food, tents, hygiene kits and cash.
The findings show the massive extent of losses of people’s main sources of food and income, which is likely to push many people into long-term hunger and poverty.
- 93% of people surveyed in Balochistan said they have lost livestock, mainly goats and sheep, which are the core source of income for rural households and a major source of dairy consumption for children. At least 800,000 livestock have died but communities are worried that this figure will rise significantly as diseases spread. Many animal shelters have also been destroyed, leaving animals susceptible to the cold nights and wind, and animal fodder is also running out in many communities as reserve stocks are damaged and lands are swamped.
- 84% of vegetable crops in the assessed areas have been ruined, including onions, watermelons, pumpkins, tomatoes, aubergine/eggplants and okra. In Sindh crops including cotton, sugarcane and chillies have also been ruined. In some communities 90% of dates have been lost and grapes and apples that were close to being harvested have been destroyed.
- A quarter (23%) of reserve food stocks, including wheat banks, have been damaged by flood water seeping into storage facilities.
- Three quarters of respondents (74%) said they have lost their main source of income, mostly through daily labour, agriculture and livestock. In Sindh many people rely on fisheries but 82% of these have been flooded and are no longer fully functioning.
- Many people have seen their savings wiped out. As many rural and poorer communities do not have bank accounts they keep any cash savings at home or in the village, and much of this cash has been washed away. Those who do have savings left are now exhausting them to cope with the current crisis.
The widespread destruction means that there are growing fears of outbreaks of potentially deadly diseases
- 73% of people surveyed in Balochistan said they do not have access to clean drinking water. 89% of rural families in the areas surveyed depend on handpumps and boreholes and many of these have been damaged or contaminated.
- 71% of people say they have to defecate in the open, as many pit latrines have been flooded and are no longer functioning
The assessment also highlights how women and girls are facing particular challenges
- Half of women interviewed (47%) said one of their main concerns is a lack of safe and private spaces. Millions of people have been displaced due to the damage to their homes, and many families are sheltering in extremely basic and crowded conditions, without private or discreet latrines. Many women said this has left them in fear of harassment, sexual assault and abuse.
- 63% of women said they are suffering from a lack of menstrual hygiene materials, which also adds to their concerns about the lack of privacy and fear of harassment
Abdul Rasheed told Islamic Relief how his village in Sindh was almost entirely submerged. “The floods completely destroyed more than 250 houses in our village. The water got 10 feet high. Many people were asleep while the water seeped into their homes. We make money from the fishing business but everyone here has lost their livelihoods.”
Abdul Hadi Khattak, Islamic Relief’s Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, who led the assessment, says:
“The floods are affecting the whole fabric of life. People have lost everything and we’ve seen colossal damage to homes, dams, agriculture, horticulture, livestock, incomes, water systems and sanitation facilities. It’s affecting every aspect of society and we fear it will continue to have a devastating impact on people’s lives for a long time to come. With so much destruction of crops and cattle and with livelihoods wiped out, it is clear that many more people are going to be pushed into severe hunger and poverty over the coming months. It is vital they get the right support now.”
Notes
The assessment was carried out this week in Balochistan and Sindh provinces, through 50 focus groups involving around 400 people in affected communities, as well as more than 85 in-depth interviews with affected people, community leaders, government departments and humanitarian workers.
