Pakistan floods explained: Scorching summer, melting glaciers behind ‘monsoon on steroids’

Pakistan is amidst an unprecedented natural catastrophe with large parts devastated by floods. 33 million people, which is 1/7th of its population, have been affected with 1,100 losing their lives. One-third of the country’s land is inundated. Pakistan knows all about downpours, but this year it has received the highest rainfall in at least three decades. What has hit Pakistan is a double whammy of flash flooding. 

In a joint flash appeal with the country for $160 million disaster fund, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called it “a monsoon on steroids”. Scientists see all the hallmarks of climate change in the floods despite it being a little early to blame global warming. 

What caused floods in Pakistan?

A scorching summer, where temperatures remained consistently above 45 degrees Celsius all May played a part in the more massive downpours. High temperatures means hotter air can hold much more water, around 7 percent more moisture content per degree Celsius. Some areas of Pakistan like Jacobabad and Dadu even recorded temperatures higher than 50 degrees Celsius. 

All this extra moisture then comes down in torrents. The country has seen rainfall 780 percent above average levels this year. Balochistan and Sindh have seen 400% increase in average rainfall leading to extreme flooding. At least 20 dams have been breached in the country.

The rains of Pakistan are being “juiced by climate change”, US-based climate scientist Jennifer Francis was quoted by AP. Pakistan is seeing daily rain which is three times higher than the national average for the past three decades. The monsoons are also never this prolonged. The country may see another downpour in September. 

The other source of Pakistan’s misery

Apart from swollen rivers causing the floods, Pakistan is at immense risk and has been hit by another source of flooding in the face of melting glaciers. Pakistan has the largest number of glaciers in the world outside the polar region. 

With the extreme heat, a phenomenon called glacial lake outburst floods leads more water to flow from the Himalayas to Pakistan. This has caused a double whammy of flooding in Pakistan, which is “considered the eighth most vulnerable country to climate change”, a Lahore-based climate scientist noted.

Pakistan saw a similar flood catastrophe in 2010 when nearly 2,000 people were killed.

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(With inputs from PTI, AP)