Pakistan Floods 2010 · Global Voices

Floods in Pakistan, Ausgust 2, 2010. Image by Flickr user Globovisión. CC BY-NC
The monsoon season this year has certainly not been a blessing for Pakistan. While the monsoon rains have mostly been considered the occasion for jubilation and joy and of the atypical summer rains, the recent spell that has resulted in catastrophic flooding across the nation is definitely not what Pakistanis were looking forward to.
Pakistan is facing its worst flood in the past 80 years, as heavy monsoon rains which have been falling since July 2010 have caused severe flooding on the Indus river plains, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, lower Punjab and parts of Balochistan. The floods have claimed more than 1600 lives and about 20 million people, one-tenth of the Pakistan population, are suffering and/or homeless. An area of over 160,000 square kilometers – about a fifth of Pakistan's total land mass – is submerged under water. Outbreaks of disease due to lack of clean drinking water and sanitation have been reported, as fresh flooding has begun.
The Pakistan government's response to the crisis has been reported as sluggish. The country's president, Asif Ali Zardari, was criticized for embarking on a foreign trip at the time of the catastrophe.
Featured Stories on the Pakistan floods:
27 Aug – Pakistan: Relief Efforts – Report From The Ground
25 Aug – Pakistan: Twitter Reactions On Flood Situation
24 Aug – Pakistan: Netizens In Action Helping Flood Victims
17 Aug – A Quiet Independence Day for Pakistan
05 Aug – Pakistan: Anger Mounts At President's Apathy
03 Aug – Flood Wreaks Havoc In Pakistan
Global Voices links to other blogs:
6 Sep – Pakistan: The Diaspora Power To Help Flood Victims
1 Sep – Pakistan: Postcards From Hell
31 Aug – Pakistan: A Letter To The Youth
29 Aug – Pakistan Flood: Relief Efforts By PKKH Team
28 Aug – Pakistan: Live Blogging Flood Relief Mission To Thatta Region
26 Aug – Pakistan Floods: First Hand Report From Kohistan
26 Aug – Pakistan Floods: First Hand Report From Charsadda
25 Aug – Pakistan: Field Notes From Doctors Of A Relief Team
19 Aug – Pakistan: Step Up For Relief Efforts
18 Aug – Pakistan Flood Incident Reporting System Based On Ushahidi
17 Aug – Google assists Pakistan flood relief efforts
16 Aug – Pakistan: Mobile Operators Respond to Flood Relief Calls
15 Aug – Pakistan: Sluggish Help For The Flood Victims
15 Aug – Pakistan Floods: Why Should We Care?
11 Aug – Pakistan: Bloggers Leading By Example In Helping The Flood Victims
30 Jul – Pakistan: Floods Cause Death And Misery
Pakistan Flood Map. Image Courtesy US Department Of State Pakistan Flood Disaster Relief Page
First-hand Reporting:
Several bloggers, including some Global Voices contributors in Pakistan, have been actively involved in the relief and rescue efforts. Some of them have been live-blogging their experiences of travelling to flood-prone areas and administering to and distributing relief supplies to those affected by the disaster.
Blogs and Twitter accounts of Global Voices Bloggers:
The hashtags being used on Twitter to report and comment on the Pakistan floods are: #pkflood and #pkrelief
Relief trip to Muzaffargarh and Mehmood Kot – Uploaded by letusrebuildpakistan
Resources:
Organizations accepting donations: