Abstract:
This study analyzes the impact of floods on communities that are vulnerable1
to the damage
caused to livelihoods of locals in the Malakand Division in the North of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province of Pakistan. This study includes an assessment of causes, impact and aftermath of
flooding and their link with climate change. Using past floods data as reference, emphasis was
put on identifying the differences in the flooding patterns, their socio–demographic and
environmental changes. The intensity and magnitude of the damage caused by past and present
floods have been tabulated to give a clear picture of hardships faced by the vulnerable
communities. Using mix-method approach, the study uses data collected with 500 structured
questionnaires containing 59 questions, comprising of population samples from 5 major districts
namely District Malakand, District Buner, District Upper / Lower Dir, District Chitral and
District Swat of the Malakand Division. Descriptive Analysis is applied to 3 sets of dependent
variables, and 1 set of independent variables. The models are then applied with Cross Tabulation
and Regression tests, to find the relation between a flood event and its effect on households
ranging differently in household heads, age groups, education levels, earning and source of
employment before and after flood. The findings depict direct relation and positive correlation
among all models, proving the hypotheses that flooding directly and also indirectly affects the
livelihood, social standing, physical and economic status of vulnerable communities. At the end,
this study is concluded with suggestions and recommendations from examples of successful
flood frameworks from the developed continents that can be incorporated within the flood
mitigation policies, damage control planning and disaster preparedness for developing countries,
focusing on Pakistan.
