July 11, 2022 - Flooding from Heavy Rains in Western Pakistan

Flooding from Heavy Rains in Western Pakistan
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Pakistan sits at the crossroads of Asia and the Middle East, nestled
between India (east), Iran and Afghanistan (west), and China to the
north. One of the longest rivers in the world, the Indus River, rises
from glaciers in the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges, flows
southward through Pakistan, then empties into the Arabian Sea.

The ebb and flow of the Indus—indeed the ebb and flow of life
throughout the region—depends on both temperature and rainfall. Rain is
lowest in the cool, dry winter (December to February) and through much
of the hot, dry spring (March through May). The springtime heat brings
glacial melt and is followed by monsoonal rains which peak from July
through September, and retreat in October to November.

Pakistan often suffers from drought, especially in times of rising
temperatures. In May of 2022, the United Nations listed Pakistan among
23 countries which are facing drought emergencies during 2020-2022. On
top of ongoing drought, a fierce heatwave struck Pakistan this spring,
leading to the hottest March recorded in India since 1901. Temperatures
in Nawabshahn reached 49.5˚C (121˚F) in March while two other cities,
Jacobabad and Sibi, reached 47˚C (117˚F). Jacobabad broke its newly-set
record in April, when temperatures reached 49˚C (120.2˚F) The extreme
heat melted so much ice on Shisper Glacier that it created a lake,
which subsequently flooded. This glacier lake outburst flood was so
strong that in early May it triggered the collapse of the Hassanabad
Bridge on the Karakorum Highway in the Hunza Valley.

The dangerous heatwave was followed by the second-driest April in
Pakistan since 1961. Rainfall in April was reported to be about 74
percent below normal across the country, especially in Punjab, which
was said to have received 89 percent less rain than average. Yet
rainfall did occur in some areas, and was unpredictably severe at
times. For example, on April 21, the town of Larkana in the Sindh
region received 38 mm (1.5 inches) of rain, along with a hailstorm—said
to be the first hailstorm ever recorded in Larkana in April.

Despite the drought and in part because of glacier-melting heat,
localized flooding was reported in several parts of the country as
early as May, even before monsoonal rains began. Floods have continued
through June and became more widespread and severe by July. On July 4,
torrential rains began to pour on Balochistan Province. By July 9,
media reported at that eight dams had burst due to the monsoonal
storms, with at least 57 people killed and hundreds left homeless in
that region. According to a government report published by Reliefweb,
as of July 10, 147 people have been killed and 160 injured due to
flooding across Pakistan since June 14.

On July 8, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a false-color image of
flooding in western Pakistan. In this type of image, infrared and
visible light are combined to help separate water (deep blue) and
vegetation (bright green). Clouds can appear white or bright blue.

The image reveals a widespread swath of bright vegetation along the
plains of the Indus River. The Indus itself is filled with muddy
sediment along much of its winding course, likely carried from flooding
and glacial meltwaters to the north. To the west of the green plains,
the land of Blochistan province is painted in blue. Not only are rivers
overflowing, but the water is so widespread that some localities appear
to almost be marshland. The area covered by floodwaters, as measured
through the NASA Worldview App, extends for more than 13,000 square
kilometers (5,020 square miles).

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/8/2022
Resolutions: 1km (224.2 KB), 500m (403.1 KB), 250m (343.2
KB)
Bands Used: 7,2,1
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-07-11

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