Pakistan: The Monsoon of the Century

Pakistan | 08 May 2011

Due to heavy rainfall in August 2010, the Indus River, normally the lifeline of Pakistan, burst its banks. Pakistanis call it "the monsoon of the century." A churning mass of water wiped roads and villages off the map and left behind a trail of destruction, despair and distress. The UN estimated that 20 million people were affected by the disaster and 1,700 people died. MSF was already working in Pakistan and so staff were able to quickly offer help to flood survivors.

Dams breached

MSF teams travelled through the flood-affected areas to identify the needs. Areas completely surrounded by water were particularly difficult to reach. Almost all the inhabitants in some parts of the Balochistan and Sindh provinces left their homes to escape the rising water. The force of the churning mass of water breached a number of dams, so that even more areas were flooded. The floods also led to food shortages in those areas hit by the waters.

Medical care

MSF teams travelled around Sukkur, in the north of Sindh Province, with three mobile clinics to provide medical aid. The mobile clinics came across groups of sometimes a thousand people, of which the children in particular required urgent medical care. Teams also provided support for the pediatric department of the hospital in Sukkur. MSF workers offered help in Balochistan province, in and around the city of Dera Murad Jamali, with mobile clinics and feeding centres, as well as in the feeding centre and the obstetrical ward of the local hospital.

Relief goods and clean water

People often have to try and survive in very difficult circumstances after a natural disaster. Many people suffer from health problems such as bronchial infections, diarrhea and skin infections. After the floods in Pakistan, MSF teams focused on a clean water supply and improved hygiene to try and prevent such problems as much as possible. Staff also distributed relief goods such as clothing, soap, toothbrushes, towels, razor blades, buckets, water cans, blankets, mosquito nets and plastic sheeting.

During the emergency phase, MSF teams:

carried out 80,150 medical consultations
screened more than 29,000 children and pregnant and lactating women and treated more than 4,500 malnourished children
distributed 64,836 relief kits
distributed 16,300 tents
provided 1,825,000 litres of clean water per day by purification or distribution
built 843 latrines (simple toilets), 280 shower sites and 130 hand washing points
distributed 122 transitional shelters