“Installation of tube wells and water filtration plants is something that
requires the collaboration of large scale organisations but continued
maintenance and running can be delegated to the local community by
building their capacity to look after these installations. On a small scale, this
has been practised in some areas of Sindh and has shown great success.”
Pakistan is ranked among the top five countries vulnerable to climate-based disasters according to global climate risk index. Over the years, torrential rains have caused flooding in several different parts of the country, claiming lives and damaging property. People from marginalised and vulnerable groups disproportionately carry the consequences of such disasters.
This study investigates the challenges faced by the people in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) in the aftermath of the 2022 floods concerning water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) needs. The focus of this exploratory participatory study is to understand the experiences of the flood-affected populations across three districts, namely Malir (Sindh), Dadu (Sindh), and Nowshera (KP), heavily impacted by the floods and hosting displaced populations.
This report summarises the key insights from participants’ experiences of the 2022 floods and highlights the need to design intersectional initiatives. The findings suggest the importance of considering gender, age, and ability to co-create resiliency systems for WASH programs in flood-affected and other emergency settings.
While emergency responses in Pakistan may have provided initial access to important WASH services, a more nuanced understanding of local contexts, cultural and indigenous practices, and a diverse lived experience lens is necessary for designing effective solutions that are more likely to sustain while communities prepare to return to their homes.
Recommendations
- Capacity Building
‣ Youth programs through social media, including first responders.
‣ Specific modules for women to care for and protect themselves in emergency settings. - Infrastructure and Systems
‣ Early warning systems, protocols, and services to reduce the damage to life and property.
‣ WASH infrastructure that can facilitate women, which considers the cultural and safety concerns of local contexts.
‣ Long-term plans to secure flood protection walls and dams strategically to minimise damage to crops and property.
‣ Policies and guidelines around the development of innovations on local lands, such as assessing the long-term impacts of non-indigenous plant species, technology-based large-scale farming practices, construction of infrastructure around natural ecosystems, etc. - Inclusion and Amplification of Lived Experiences for Programming
‣ Empowerment and agency of the community and active local grassroots leaders who can take initiatives towards emergency response, disaster preparedness, and management. These agents of change can also enable the continuation of services and initiatives in the longer term for effective recovering.
- Capacity Building
