Measuring the Adverse Effects of Flooding on the Livelihood of the Vulnerable Communities and identifying probable implications in Malakand Division, KP Pakistan

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.