Pakistan Floods: One Year On

Last summer, unprecedented monsoon rains caused widespread flooding and landslides across Pakistan, affecting 33 million people.

Over 1,700 lives were lost and over 12,000 injured, with one-third of the country under water – an area almost the size of Great Britain. Entire villages were swept away, with two million acres of crops affected and nearly 800,000 livestock lost.

At the time, Abdul Jalil, Technical Advisor at HelpAge Pakistan said:

“The situation is very dangerous for older people, particularly older women. Older people are exposed to psychosocial issues, starvation, skin diseases, and other waterborne diseases.”

In the months prior to the flooding, Pakistan also experienced extreme record-breaking heat, with temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius. These higher temperatures meant that the glaciers in the mountains melted faster, which fed into rivers and contributed to the flooding. The ground was also harder than usual due to the extreme high temperatures, which made it difficult for flood water to be absorbed.

Together with HelpAge Pakistan, we had already supported older people in Pakistan for 12 years through our programmes, including responses to other climate-related emergencies – but the floods in 2022 were on an unprecedented scale.

Our immediate focus of relief efforts was to save lives, prevent the spread of waterborne diseases and provide shelter for older people who had lost everything.

Older people like Dodo Buriro, 80, who lost his house in the floods and had to live in a makeshift tent, and under the trees. Most of his family members contracted skin diseases from the water, and others caught malaria.

Thanks to donations, we were able to distribute temporary shelter kits and hygiene kits to those who needed it most.

In November 2022, Age International conducted the first counselling session for 39 older women in the district of Balochistan.

Many older people were left traumatised by the losses of their homes, family or livelihoods in the wake of the floods. Some lost the youngest members of their families, as children were particularly susceptible to illnesses and injuries.

The threat of illnesses and stress around health only exacerbated anxieties, and many were not able to access medications. The counselling session offered older women an opportunity to discuss this, whilst receiving support and gentle guidance.

Since then, we've worked with our partners to provide mental health support to over 5,000 older people and their families.

The arrival of the winter season in Pakistan brought even more challenges, particularly for older people living in the open air, with temperatures dropping to as low as 1 degree Celsius.

Naheed, 60, was among those who desperately needed support. Having lost the roof of her house in the floods, she was living in the open air with her family, including her husband who had suffered a stroke 10 years ago.

Our response was tailored to helping older people keep warm in the winter months. With the help of our partner, we distributed winter kits which included a mattress, pillow, blanket, bedsheets, mosquito net, shawl, socks and caps.

Older people often have disabilities, so together with our partners we tailored our response to meet those specific needs.

Haji, 70, is paralysed down the right side of his body, so when heavy rains destroyed his home, he struggled to make it to a safer place.

“Thank God, the community members came to help me,” said Haji.

For many older people, their disability devices and medicines were swept away in the floods. Working with our partners in the area, we provided assistive devices, such as walking frames, hearing aids and pill organisers, to those who needed it most.

We are continuing to support older people in Pakistan and helping them to rebuild their lives. The second phase of our response, which is now underway, includes:

• Training older people on sustainable ways to make an income.
• Improving access to mental health support and medical care for older people with disabilities and health conditions.
• Helping communities become better equipped to manage future climate related disasters, through things like the provision of solar panels.