ANALYZING THE LONG-TERM IMPACTS OF THE 2010 SUPER FLOODS ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF KANDH KOT, SINDH

Abstract

The floods of 2010 declared as super floods because its results were more dangerous from the previous ones which resulted the damages of infrastructure, affected the human lives, become a cause of displacement for the local communities and many more. It was the first time in the history that country’s GDP highly affected due to the floods based natural disaster.  Besides, it had profound impacts on the health based issues like malaria, diarrhea, water borne diseases etc. On the other hand, it directly damaged the infrastructure like homes, education sector, hospitals, bridges and roads which showed the lack of transport facilitation and convenience had remained quit for the local community. There were majority of people who faced psychological issues because the helpless factor had emerged among them in the form of poor rescue and relief at that time. The floods were among the worst in the country’s history which wreaking havoc in numerous provinces, including Sindh. The socio-economic impacts of the super floods of 2010 on district Kandh kot, Sindh are the main subject of this article. The area was heavily affected and the indigenous people became more vulnerable because of its geographic location and they had deprived from the clean water and sanitation, shelter, and loss of agricultural areas. Besides, the business setup of Kandh kot was also badly affected due to the floods and the stock of wheat and rice in flour mills completely washed away. The study looks the impacts on the’ infrastructure, economy, agriculture and the basic needs based thing of the indigenous people. The study shows major disruptions in livelihood, displacement of every individual of that area, and deterioration of public health and education system respectively. However, the long recovery process was also caused by the floods exacerbation of pre-existing vulnerabilities, such as poverty and limited access to essential services. The results emphasize the need for infrastructural resilience, catastrophic preparedness in flood prone areas.

Keywords: Floods of 2010, socio-economic impacts, displacement, geographical importance of Kandh kot, Sindh