WHEN the devastating floods of 2010 killed more than 2,000 people in the country, displaced over one-tenth of the population from north to south and caused cumulative economic losses exceeding $10bn, the government quickly promised to formulate a flood management policy for the future. Since then, Pakistan has endured two more floods in 2011 and 2012. Although more restricted in area than the 2010 deluge, they were widespread enough to affect around nine million people. Thousands of flood survivors are still trying to rebuild their lives but the promised policy has yet to see the light of day. Now a report by the Asian Development Bank has rightly pointed out that the lack of an appropriate and comprehensive flood management policy has “led to high recovery costs and to ad hoc measures that are not sustainable”. The report warns that “the Indus Basin lacks an appropriate flood policy, comprehensive laws and adequate flood-control infrastructure and because of this Pakistan suffered cumulative flood damage of $20bn from 1950 to 2010”. It has also underlined the “urgent need to assess technological, institutional and policy options, and develop an integrated water resources management framework and a flood plan”.

An integrated flood management policy is important to prevent loss of life and minimise damage to the economy, as well as to beneficially use the floodwaters for irrigation, industrial use, electricity production, etc in a water-scarce country with a fast-growing population like Pakistan. Thus, the scope of the flood management framework should not be limited to forecasting floods and building protective dykes and storage reservoirs. The purpose, as the report underscores, must be to integrate water and land use management, protect catchments, water courses and floodplains from encroachment and degradation, allow equitable and reasonable exploitation of catchments and flood-points, and protect the ecosystem. Unless such a policy framework is evolved, future flooding will continue to kill people, destroy homes, devastate the economy and waste additional water that could have been put to good use for the people and the economy.