Pakistan Floods
Ensuring older people receive life-saving support after a series of devastating floods
A season of heavy rainfall in Pakistan – upwards of six times the typical amount in some regions – has left a third of the country underwater. Around 33 million people have been affected by the heavy rains and floods, including at least 7.9 million people who have been displaced, of whom some 598,000 are living in relief camps.
Ensuring older people receive life-saving support after a series of devastating floods
A season of heavy rainfall in Pakistan – upwards of six times the typical amount in some regions – has left a third of the country underwater. Around 33 million people have been affected by the heavy rains and floods, including at least 7.9 million people who have been displaced, of whom some 598,000 are living in relief camps.
7%
Of the population is over 65, around 15 million people
Over 33M
affected people and over 2 million homes damaged or destroyed in the 2022 floods
Flooding has not only destroyed homes, roads, and livestock, but has also left those in affected areas more vulnerable to the risks stagnant water brings, such as disease-carrying mosquitoes and water-borne illnesses, with older people being especially at risk.
A Rapid Needs Assessment conducted in September 2022 in the areas of Sindh (Jacobabad, Khairpur, Shikarpur and Dadu); Balochistan (Jhal Magsi); and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Nowshera) provides insights into the specific challenges faced by older people in these regions:
- 69% of older people interviewed reported that they do not have shelter. This varied between locations, with those interviewed in Sindh significantly less likely to have shelter (85%) compared to those interviewed in Balochistan (39%) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (8%).
- Almost half (46%) of older people interviewed reported that they do not have access to clean drinking water.
- 60% of older people interviewed reported that they did not have sufficient food. The most significant barrier to accessing sufficient food, reported by 43% older people, was that they could not afford to purchase it.
With this needs assessment as a guide, HelpAge Canada is collecting funds for our on-the-ground partners, such as HelpAge International and HelpAge Pakistan, to provide food, medicine, shelter, and psychosocial support. Your donation gives older people and their families:
- Food baskets to feed a family for four months
- Hygiene kits to reduce the risk of disease
- Temporary shelter to protect individuals’ wellbeing
Stories from Pakistan
Shah Murad, 72, Mirpur, Pakistan
“We’ve faced a lot of problems. Our house was swept away by this flood, it’s all now completely flattened. After the flood, we had a fever and skin conditions, and we couldn’t get any medicine, but now doctors have visited us and we are getting medicine for free. HelpAge gave me a comforter, a pillow, and two containers for clean water.”
Mai Safoora, 73, Qadan Mashi, Pakistan
“Everyone asked me to leave my house, but I stayed here because I was alone and had nowhere to go. My children left me all alone, and this house is all I have left. I haven’t been able to get any medicine for it for the last three weeks. Five days of high fever further added to my misery, and it was really tough. With no help, I thought I would die. My things were swept away during the floods, so the kitchen utensils, solar lamps, jerry cans, and mosquito net HelpAge gave me are really helpful, and it gave me new hope that I could rebuild my house.”
With special thanks to our partners
HelpAge Canada is proud to partner with HelpAge International to support older people in Pakistan whose lives were upturned as a result of the 2022 floods.
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