GLOBAL CLIMATE ANOMALIES AND RECENT FLOODS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Climate scientists preferably use the term climate anomaly to explain any
significant abnormal change of surface air temperature or precipitation in the
weather pattern of any region. As a result, abnormal heat waves and extremely
hot weather, severe winter snowfall and blizzards, long droughts, heavy rainfall,
and extraordinary floods occur. Such anomalies were more often observed in
different regions of the world during the last three decades. The term climate
change, led by global warming due to the rising amount of carbon dioxide from
burning fossil fuels, is generally considered the main cause. The ENSO
phenomenon is also linked to the climate anomalies of the last three decades. In
2022 Europe, the USA, China, and Pakistan were affected by such climate
anomalies. The Yangtze River region of China, the main rivers of European
land, and the lakes and rivers of the dry land region of the USA experienced the
worst long drought, creating an extreme shortage of water and electricity
generation. On the other hand, Germany and southern China experienced the
worst floods. Abnormally hot weather in the summer and extreme winter
snowfall and blizzards severely affected people in Europe and the USA. In 2022,
Pakistan was also severely affected by floods caused by abnormally heavy
monsoon rainfall. Out of 170 districts, 38 were worst affected, causing the
deaths of 1739 people, while houses and croplands of 33 million people were
badly affected. Sindh was the most affected province, where heavy rainfall and
poor drainage created catastrophic damage. Balochistan, southern Punjab, and
districts of the Malakand region were severely affected by flash floods. The
present study is based on the hypotheses that climatic anomalies (abnormal
excessive rainfall and melting of snow) were the main causes of the flood
disaster of 2022 in Pakistan. Failure of the National Disaster Management
Authority is the secondary factor causing economic and human loss.