Building Pakistan’s Resilience to Flood Disasters in the Indus River Basin

Pakistan’s losses from the 2010 flood were the worst in the country’s history, despite the magnitude being less than the major flood event of 1976. The reasons for the losses were an inadequate early warning system, the intensity of the rainfall, and the capacity of available waterways. The flood, which affected all provinces in Pakistan, killed 1600 people, caused damage totaling more than USD 10 billion, and inundated an area of approximately 38,600 km2. Building resilience to future flood events will require investment in an integrated water resources management and infrastructure strategy. Water supply management affects water storage options and sediment management, which in turn affects the options for flood management. This chapter details a resilience strategy that could help Pakistan to prepare, absorb, adapt, and recover from extreme flood events. Resilience to flood disasters will require infrastructure (absorb) that is properly maintained with coordinated management (prepare), an ability to forecast crises and coordinate actions (prepare), and a pragmatic approach to future uncertainties, such as climate change (adapt). Finally, improved governance will be required to implement fundamental change and aid recovery after disasters.