Global Deluge: 1,000 Dead or Injured in Pakistan Flash Floods

Extreme monsoon rains, flash floods Kill more than 120, injure 900 in Pakistan

Widespread flash flooding triggered by extreme rain events have left at least 1,000  people dead or injured since the beginning of August.

The extreme rains have flooded 1,746 villages, affecting about 550,000 people, destroying more than 11,000 homes, ruining 412,083 acres of standing crops and killing 4,555 livestock, according to the country’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Floods have displaced an estimated 100,000 people, and destroyed much of the infrastructure in the affected regions.

The worst affected regions are the eastern Punjab province, southern Sindh province, northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and southwest Baluchistan province.

The authorities have warned about the outbreak of waterborne epidemic diseases in the affected regions.

Related Links

• Global Disasters/ Significant Events – August 18, 2013 August 18, 2013

Severe Flooding Displaces 600,000 in Nigeria

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,254 Days Left

[October 9, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. 

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,254 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Hundreds of communities inundated following mega-flooding in Nigeria’s Kogi State

At least a dozen people are dead or missing and there is rising concern about outbreaks of waterborne diseases. 

• Widespread flooding triggered by extreme rain events have severely affected at least 18 of the country’s 38 states in recent weeks, destroying public infrastructure and impacting health, education and agriculture, reports said.
  

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Bangkok Primed for Collapse

Collapse of Bangkok Would Follow Classic Pattern

The entire city of Bangkok could be inundated, the Prime Minister has warned, with many parts of the capital submerged by up to 1.5m (5ft) of floodwater.

Disaster Calendar 2011 – October 26

[October 26, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,603 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok is now primed to  collapse. It’s no longer a matter of if but when the city would implode.
• FIRE-EARTH Models show that back-to-back disasters could strike Thailand, targeting the country’s largest urban area and capital city, in the coming months until the region becomes mostly uninhabitable.
• Bangkok is the center of a 20-million megalopolis, with more than 14.6 million people living in the metropolitan area.
• Mesmerized by the 1980s and 1990s Asian investment boom, a large number of multinational corporations set up their regional headquarters in Bangkok. Many of these companies have been inundated and unable to function.
• As of 2010, Bangkok was world’s 73rd largest city.
• The urban sprawl of Bangkok Metropolitan Area extends into five neighboring provinces.
• Bangkok accounts for about 41 percent of Thailand’s 587 billion dollar economy.
• Located in the The Chao Phraya River basin, and split by a major river of the same name, Bangkok [aka, “Venice of the East”] is cross-crossed by a large system of canals and lies just two meters (6.5 ft) above sea level, with its southern periphery bordering the Bay of Bangkok.
• The government has warned that a double whammy of   floodwaters from north running into the sea and high tides in the weekend could overwhelm the entire city, and linger for weeks.
• “After assessing the situation, we expect floodwater to remain in Bangkok for around two weeks to one month before going into the sea,” Prime Minister Shinawatra said.
• Floods have inundated more than two third of the country (62 of Thailand’s 77 provinces), claiming up to 400 lives, destroying or damaging at least a million homes, displacing 2.4 million people and affecting up to 10 million more.
• Thailand is world’s largest rice exporter and was forecast to export about 10.6 million tons (or 31 percent of the global trade) of the grain this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
• About 1.6 million hectares of standing crops (12.5 percent of total national cropped area) is destroyed or damaged according to the latest official estimates released last week. The actual figures could be as high as 3 million hectares or nearly a quarter of the total national cropped area.
• “According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, nearly 9.9 million heads of livestock are at risk. It is expected that this estimate will rise in the central plains as the flood waters are topped by water discharges from major dams which are beyond or almost at full capacity.” FAO said.
• The export price for grade B Thai white rice, Asia’s benchmark, has climbed by 13 percent so far this year to $625 per ton on October 19, reports said.
• As of today, many grocery stores in the capital are rationing what little food is left on the shelves.
• Drinking water has been contaminated in many areas, local reports said.
• About a million people have so far sought medical attention with complaints ranging from skin rashes due to prolonged water exposure to diarrhea and other waterborne diseases.
• Flooding has forced the closure of at least seven industrial parks bordering Bangkok.
• The tourism industry, which employes 2.2 million people and accounts for 6 percent of Thailand’s economy, is also hit hard.
• The cost of damage is estimated at 6 billion dollars and mounting.

[NOTE: Specific details of this forecast, which include the mechanisms of collapse and timeline, are not included. SEE blog content for explanation.]

Related Links

• Floods in SE Asia causing serious food shortages

• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast

• 2011 Disaster Calendar – October
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – September
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

No Place to Go!

Image of the Day

Marooned!

¼ of a million more people forced to flee homes

The monsoon floods in the Indus River Basin that are now moving south, have so far inundated about 22 percent of Pakistan, displacing more than 20 million people, killing thousands [official death toll stands at 1,600,] destroying some 1.2m homes, damaging at least 3.2m hectares of farmland (14% of Pakistan’s cultivated land), and putting millions at risk from waterborne diseases, as well as food and clean water shortages, reports say.

“The magnitude of this crisis is reaching levels that are even beyond our initial fears” ~ UN spokesperson

Fresh Flooding in Southern Pakistan. A freeze frame from a BBC UK video report. Image may be subject to copyright.

“The number of those affected and those in need of assistance from us are bound to keep rising.”

“The floods seem determined to outrun our efforts. About one month from the onset of the floods, we don’t know when we will see their end, as the disaster is still unfolding,” he added.

Related Links:

• Disease Outbreaks Threaten Pakistan Flood Victims
• Nature Has the Right of Way
• Indus River Flooding

• 3.5m Pakistani children face waterborne diseases
• Intense rains affect 1 in 10 Pakistani
• 2010 Disaster Calendar [AUGUST]
• Between Hell and High Water
• Pakistan Floods Kill 1,000

• Collapse of Pakistan May Have Started
• Collapse Diary
• 2010 Disaster Calendar

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• Energy Dinosaurs

Disease Outbreaks Threaten Pakistan Flood Victims

Diarrhea and cholera wreaking havoc in many of Pakistan’s flooded areas

About 80% of the town of Jacobabad in Sindh province was buried under 1.5m (5ft) of water, as a tsunami of floodwaters were rapidly moving south towards the state of Balochistan, UNHCR reported.

The situation in Sindh continues to deteriorate, as the second wave of floodwaters quickly moves into the south of the province, the report said.

The Great Deluge in Pakistan

Image acquired August 19, 2010 — download large image (5 MB, JPEG)

Image acquired July 31, 2009 — download large image (5 MB, JPEG)

The top false-color image was acquired by the Landsat-5 satellite on August 19, 2010. Lower image dated July 31, 2009 is used for comparison.  Tsunamis of floodwater riding on the Indus River target southern Pakistan  three weeks after the first floods inundated NW Pakistan. Source: NASA E/O. Click images to enlarge.

Related Links:

• Nature Has the Right of Way
• Indus River Flooding

• 3.5m Pakistani children face waterborne diseases
• Intense rains affect 1 in 10 Pakistani
• 2010 Disaster Calendar [AUGUST]
• Between Hell and High Water
• Pakistan Floods Kill 1,000

• Collapse of Pakistan May Have Started
• Collapse Diary
• 2010 Disaster Calendar

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• Energy Dinosaurs

disaster 2010, flood, flooding. Tagged: waterborne diseases, pakistan flooding, Sindh Province.

Indus River Flooding

More than 20 million affected by Pakistan Floods

Flooding near Kashmor, Sindh Province, Pakistan

Flood Disaster Summary:

• More than 20 million people have been affected, and the toll is rising.
• Thousands of people have been killed or injured.
• 3.5 million children face waterborne diseases.
• A quarter of Pakistan land area, including its agricultural heartland, has been inundated.
• Up to 3.5 million hectares of crops have been destroyed.
• At least a million homes destroyed or damaged.

Click image to enlarge. Download large image (8 MB, JPEG) — acquired August 12, 2010

• Download large false color image (9 MB, JPEG)

Top: Flooding near Kashmor in Sindh province, Pakistan, on August 12, 2010 (Landsat 5 satellite), immediately prior to the second wave of the flooding striking the region. Above: The same region on August 9, 2009. Download large image (9 MB, JPEG).

Related Links:

• 3.5m Pakistani children face waterborne diseases
• Intense rains affect 1 in 10 Pakistani
• 2010 Disaster Calendar [AUGUST]
• Between Hell and High Water
• Pakistan Floods Kill 1,000

• Collapse of Pakistan May Have Started
• Collapse Diary
• 2010 Disaster Calendar

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• Energy Dinosaurs

3.5m Pakistani children face waterborne diseases

Pakistan Flood Tragedy Enters New Phase

A quarter of Pakistan, including its agricultural heartland, has been inundated

“Up to 3.5 million children are at high risk of deadly water-borne diseases, such as watery diarrhoea and dysentery,” Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said, AFP reported.

“What concerns us the most is water and health. Clean water is essential to prevent deadly water-borne diseases. Water during the flood has been contaminated badly. There is a shortage of clean water,” he added.

Pakistan – Floods Impact Profile [13 August 2010] – Click images to enlarge.

MAP OF FLOOD DAMAGED HOUSES

YOUR RESPONSE

YOU have a moral duty to help victims of disasters; however, do NOT enrich the international aid mafia. DO NOT give any money to the American Red Cross, or any outfit headed by Clinton/Bush, Hollywood (film and music scenes) people, ex-politicians, or senior members of the UN organizations.

Related Links:

• Intense rains affect 1 in 10 Pakistani
• Collapse of Pakistan May Have Started
• 2010 Disaster Calendar [AUGUST]
• Between Hell and High Water
• Pakistan Floods Kill 1,000

• Collapse Diary
• 2010 Disaster Calendar

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• Energy Dinosaurs

Today is World Water Day

Water Issues: Scarcity and Pollution

A sever drought is affecting about 60 million people in SW China. Well that’s less than 1 percent of the world population, you could argue.

But another 60 million people are severely affected by a drought in the Mekong Basin, which is threatening not just their livelihood, but their survival.  The water flows are the lowest  for 20 years, warns the Mekong River Commission (MRC). The drought has an impact on agriculture, food security, access to clean water and river transport.

Drought conditions are so severe in parts of Africa most women have to walk five miles per day, carrying just enough water for drinking and cooking in large containers placed on their head.

Of Africa’s 53 nations, only 10 countries have adequate drinking water. In Uganda alone, more than 10 million people have no access to clean water.

More than a billion people have NO access to safe water and about 2.5 billion people live without adequate sanitation. About 55 percent of “developing world’s” population are  suffering from at least one major illness  related to unsafe water and poor sanitation.

Each day, at least 6,000 children die of waterborne diseases including diarrhoeal diseases and malaria.—UNICEF

Mwamanongu Village water source, Tanzania. In Meatu district, Shinyanga region, Tanzania, water most often comes from open holes dug in the sand of dry riverbeds, and it is invariably contaminated. Credit:  Bob Metcalf

Unsanitary water is responsible for 80 per cent of all illnesses,  and is world’s number one killer, UN says.

The UN also states that unsanitary water is responsible for 1.5 million cases of hepatitis A (and 133 million cases of intestinal parasites).

According to the world bank, waterborne illnesses are each year responsible for:

• 4 billion cases of diarrhea, killing more than 6 million people.
• 300 million cases of malaria
• 200 million cases of schistosomiasis
• 6 million people are blinded by trachoma ( 500 million people who are currently at risk of contracting the disease).

Bottom line

As of  March 2010

• One in five people on this planet have no access to clean water.
• One in ten people is experiencing a severe to a moderate drought.

Every year, nearly 11 million children die before reaching their fifth birthday, most from preventable causes. That is approximately, 30, 000 children per day. Another 300 million children suffer from illnesses caused by lack of clean water, poor nutrition and inadequate health services and care. —UNICEF

Related Links:

• Clean water Action
• The Story of Bottled Water (Annie Leonard)

• SW China on the precipice of catastrophe
• ‘Diarrhea water’
• French Water!
• How Much Water?