1. Background
Pakistan – 2010 Floods
“I have witnessed many natural disasters around the world, but nothing like this” said
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on his visit to Pakistan during the 2010
floods. 20 million lives were destroyed and 20 percent of the country was inundated,
causing a loss of USD 43 billion in total damages.
2010’s floods have not only destroyed the homes of millions of poor people but have
also caused damages of an unprecedented scale to crop and livestock. According to an
FAO report, the floods ruined the prime agricultural land of Pakistan and caused a loss
of over 3.6 million acres of crops and eliminated milk revenue stream of USD 12.5
billion from these already impoverished regions. In addition to these horrifying
numbers, the recent floods in Pakistan have destroyed the homes and means of
livelihoods of millions of people. With an economy that is already very fragile due to
political instability and poor law & order situation, the recent floods have deepened the
social and financial crisis in Pakistan
Rehabilitation is going to be a long haul process and entails not only provision of food
and shelter but also restoration of the economic cycle for long term sustainability of the
country. Beyond the immediate relief effort, sustainable livelihoods have to be rebuilt
and this is typically where countries falter whenever a natural calamity occurs. To
address the challenge of devising a developmental strategy for the flood impacted areas
it is prudent to conduct a background analysis of the situation as it was prior to the
floods. This analysis can assist in devising an approach that is holistic and is based upon

2. the current skill-sets of the people of this area. Such an approach can maximize the
chances of success on a sustained basis.
Historical Socio-Economic Dynamics of the Flood Impacted Areas
The flood ravaged areas are primarily in the form of a strip 20 to 75 miles to the either
side of:
River Chenab (starting south west of Multan till the river eventually joins River
Indus)
River Indus (starting from Nowshera/Mardan/Charsaddah (in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa
Province) and down to the Arabian Sea (in Sindh Province) (as can be seen in the
map )
Barring the adversely impacted areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Province and a small
portion of upper Punjab, by and large the damaged portion of land belongs to the
landed aristocracy of South Punjab & Sind Provinces. As most of these people are
settled in the major urban centers of Pakistan and exercise absentee landlordism, they
require a large number of workers to manage their lands on a day to day basis. It is

3. these landless poor people who are at the bottom of the pyramid and unfortunately are
the ones who have been most adversely impacted by the floods.
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/floodsinpakistan2010
A cursory evaluation of these people reveals the following facts:
They plough and till the land of the landed aristocracy either on lease or on share
cropping basis which ensures that they do not retain ownership of the land
The current situation keeps them perpetually at subsistence level and under the
burden of debt that is extended by the landlords. Very frequently this situation
results in successive generations being bound to their landlords.
Although the Government of Pakistan nearly every year raises the minimum salary
level, prevalent salaries in this belt are substantially lower.
No laws pertaining to child labor are implemented and children are used freely in
the agriculture fields
The above vicious cycle of poverty results in little or no education for their children
& lack of basic amenities for their families
Livestock rearing contributes a considerable amount of their real income either
through the sale of the animals or through surplus milk
A large majority of the women are engaged in livestock rearing since the men folk
work in the fields
The social and economic imbalance over time has created conditions under which
the landless people of this belt have lost faith in the very concept of a better future.
It seems to them that they are ordained to follow a life of subservience & servitude.
Understandably, the current economic situation can cause further instability in the
region and worsen the current law and order situation in the country. The regressive
economic structure of the region coupled with the devastating floods requires
immediate action for rehabilitating and rebuilding the lives of these people.
Potential Livelihood Restoration Options for the Flood Impacted People
Evaluating the socio-economic demography of the flood impacted areas; agriculture
comes out to be the mainstay and primary means of livelihood and sustainability of the
affected people. Therefore for any potential livelihood restoration & rehabilitation
program to be successful, it has to be based on the structure of the rural economy and
leverage the current skill set of these people. Thus it is agricultural solutions which can
target the issues faced by these people most effectively and restore the rural economy
on a sustainable basis.
Agriculture based solutions can be, but are not limited to:
Training farmers along modern lines for land preparation

4. Providing them with agricultural implements such as tractors and ploughs etc.
Ensure provision of high quality fertilizers and seeds for fodder production, wheat
production and other cash crops production
Train farmers in water resource management
Provide them with subsidized pesticides and herbicides for optimum yields
Provide training and tools for crop storage and preservation techniques
Provide training on farm management practices related to livestock rearing
Provide vaccination covers to the animals of the farmers
Genetically upgrade the animals of these poor people to provide a sustainable
means of income over the productive lives of their animals. The offspring produced
through this up-gradation will carry elite genetics and be able to produce 2 to 3
times more milk than their mothers, thus substantially increasing the income of the
farming families
________________________________________________
https://www.cimicweb.org/cmo/pf2010/Documents/Assessments/AgricultureCluster_Pre
liminary.pdf
Historical Socio-Economic Dynamics of the Flood Impacted Areas
The flood ravaged areas are primarily in the form of a strip 20 to 75 miles to the either
side of:
River Chenab (starting south west of Multan till the river eventually joins River
Indus)
River Indus (starting from Nowshera/Mardan/Charsaddah (in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa
Province) and down to the Arabian Sea (in Sindh Province) (as can be seen in the
map )
Barring the adversely impacted areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Province and a small
portion of upper Punjab, by and large the damaged portion of land belongs to the
landed aristocracy of South Punjab & Sind Provinces. As most of these people are
settled in the major urban centers of Pakistan and exercise absentee landlordism, they
require a large number of workers to manage their lands on a day to day basis. It is

5. these landless poor people who are at the bottom of the pyramid and unfortunately are
the ones who have been most adversely impacted by the floods.
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/floodsinpakistan2010
The worst floods in living history hit Pakistan in July 2010
affecting nearly 20 million people, destroying 1.7 million homes
and damaging essential infrastructure. September 2011 saw the
onslaught of more devastating floods.
The floods have severely thwarted Pakistan’s development
prospects in a country already gripped with socio-economic
problems.
Though the world’s media has moved on, the humanitarian crisis
continues and support for the long-term recovery of Pakistan is
vital.