Toxicologia Ambiental e Analítica

Impact of 2010 Floods on Pakistan’s Agriculture

Abstract

Syed Iazaz Ahmad Bukhari and Shahid Hassan Rizvi

Since 1929, 2010 flood have been assessed as the most horrible flood. It damaged standing crops over an area of 1.93 million acres. During 2010 floods 80 percent of the population in the flood-affected areas was depending upon agriculture for their livelihood. The floods and flash rains in the country have not only damaged agriculture crops, livestock, fisheries, and forestry, but have also destroyed primary infrastructure such as tube wells, water channels, household storages, houses, animal sheds, personal seed stocks/fertilizers, various agriculture machinery and equipment and many more. It has been estimated that the agriculture sector has experienced the overall damages of about Rs. 429 billion while cropped agriculture had suffered from 89 percent of these damages and losses. Productivity of cotton crop reduced to 11.76 million bales against the expected output of 14 million bales. The damages to livestock sector were estimated as of Rs. 48 billion. Damages to the fisheries were negligible and to the forestry were none. The present study is an attempt to explore the shocking impact of 2010 flood on agriculture. The prices of the basic agriculture inputs- diesel, urea, and pesticides- rose sharply. Diesel prices in June 2010 were 75.7 per liter while these prices reached the level of 94.1 per liter in June 2011. The study also tries to identify where man is consciously involved and where unconsciously -lack of planning, mismanagement, and lack of resources- causing floods. The study also tries to suggest how we can protect Pakistan from such hazards in future.