Role of Institutions in Combating the Effects of Flood Hazard in Punjab-A Case Study of District Chiniot

Abstract

Naturally occurring events such as earthquakes, volcanoes, floods etc. cast great impact on physiography of land and lives of the people. Floods are the most common of all the natural hazards. Physical, social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities make the developing countries more susceptible to disasters as compared to the developed countries which have great sources and resources to cope with any disastrous situation. Pakistan is one of the most flood prone countries of South Asia and a number of floods have caused significant damage and loss both physically and economically particularly during the floods of 1950, 1992, 1998, 2010, 2011 and 2014.Theses floods are primarily caused by the heavy monsoon rainfalls accompanied by snow melting in the northern mountainous areas of the country. Among all the provinces, Punjab is most prone to floods and faces great damage and loss because it is the home of more than half of the country’s population. As it is densely populated, so the destruction here is more than other provinces. Besides, Punjab’s geographic location and climatic conditions make it more vulnerable to monsoon floods. Primary data from a field survey of the case study area through a questionnaire was obtained while the related secondary data was derived from different published government’s reports, journals and already done work related to the topic. For graphical representation of work done, simple statistical techniques attributed with descriptive research were followed. This research is aimed to have an inner look into the structures and functions of the institutes which are working to combat the effects of floods in Pakistan. The main purpose of this study is to find out the plans and strategies of different institutions to combat the effects of floods.