Pakistan: Flood Damage Assessment of Sindh Essay Example

plant and machinery at the Larh Sugar Mill resulting in a significant loss of capital. Unfortunately, only 28 out of the total number of sugar mills will operate this season as Larh Sugar Mill is currently out of production[6]. It is still uncertain how many other industrial units have been affected in areas such as Dadu, Jamshoro, and Thatta districts as floodwaters have yet to subside. A total of 13 industrial units, which included 11 rice mills, were damaged in Jacobabad alone.

The floods in Taluka Garhi Khairo damaged eight industrial units, mainly rice mills. The owners have submitted claims estimating losses per unit between Rs1.2 to 1.5 million, resulting in an average per unit loss of Rs2.5 million.

Floods caused damage to 35 units in Taluka Thul, with an estimated loss of Rs2 million per unit. In district Kashmore-Kandhkot, 11 units were destroyed by floods, resulting in an average loss of Rs2.5 million per unit. The floods have severely impacted the agriculture sector, which is the foundation of the provincial economy. The floodwaters have damaged valuable agricultural land, destroyed standing crops, and washed away various grain stocks.

The agriculture sector incurred losses of Rs.122.1 billion while the livestock sector suffered losses of Rs.11.4 billion due to flooding, according to Dr. Bangali. The adviser also noted that over 2.

In Sindh, a total of 2 million acres of crop land was submerged, causing damage to 3 million metric tons of agricultural crop and resulting in the loss of around 0.2 million livestock. The districts affected include Jacobabad, Shikarpur, Kashmore-Kandhkot, Qambar-Shahdadkot, Ghotki, Khairpur, Nawabshah, Naushero Feroz, Larkana, Thatta, Jamshoro and Dadu where crops such as rice, sugarcane, cotton, maize

and various vegetables were destroyed. The following is a list of the estimated losses of each crop in Sindh.

According to Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock (Minfal), initial estimations show that the country might fall short of the cotton target of 14 million bales by 2-3 million bales. This could lead to importing cotton and resulting in a loss of $1 billion. Dr Bengali claims that losses to the cotton crop in Sindh are estimated at Rs. 32.2 billion. Additionally, almost 700,000 acres of standing Kharif crops have been destroyed or submerged in water.

The wheat crop in Sindh has incurred losses amounting to Rs.12.5 billion[10]. Moreover, numerous farming households have suffered the loss of their seed reserves resulting in increased losses and a detrimental effect on next year’s crop.

Sindh government estimates sugarcane crop losses at Rs.11.6 billion, but these numbers are subject to change as floodwaters move out of Dadu, Jamshoro and Thatta. In addition, flooding caused capital loss to the machinery and plant at Larh Sugar Mill. Meanwhile, Jacobabad, Kashmore-Khandhkot, Larkana, Shikarpur, and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts are major Irri-6 paddy growing areas with an average of 1.

According to reports, Sindh has lost 0.85 million tons of rice due to flooding, despite producing 2 million tons annually. The estimated losses to the rice crop by the Sindh Government are Rs. 28.9 billion.

About 315 rice mills located in the Sindh districts on the right bank of the Indus river have been affected by the recent floods. The paddy processing industry may encounter significant losses due to the crop's uncertain supply. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations reported that the Sindh province

has incurred losses of 250,000 large animals, 300,000 small animals, and almost 5 million poultry. Additionally, around 33,000 animal sheds have been damaged in Sindh[14].

The ability of farmers to cultivate their land will be seriously compromised due to the weakness and susceptibility to disease and starvation of surviving animals. The Sindh Government has estimated the loss of Rs.11.8 billion in the livestock and fisheries sector.