Future Sustainability Challenges in Hindu Kush-Himalaya - Impact of Global Changes on Mountains: Responses and Adaptation - page 247

Acquired August 12, 2010
Acquired August 9, 2009
Figure 10.16. The extreme monsoon fl oods in Pakistan inundated much of the Khewali city
and the surrounding farmland in August 2010. Top image acquired by the Landsat 5 satellite
on August 12, 2010 showing fl ooding near Kashmor. The lower image show normal situation
in August 2009. Stream gauges at the Guddu Barrage recorded extremely high levels of water
(more than 910,000 cubic feet per second) fl owing down the Indus. The fl ow rate increased on
August 13 as the second wave of fl ooding reached the barrage. The extreme monsoon fl oods
in Pakistan inundated much of the Khewali city and the surrounding farmland in August
2010. The lower image of August 2009, provided for context, to show the magnitude of fl ood
in August 2010. Stream gauges at the Guddu Barrage recorded extremely high levels of water
(more than 910,000 cubic feet per second) fl owing down the Indus. The fl ow rate increased on
August 13 as the second wave of fl ooding reached the barrage. On August 18, the Pakistan
government stated that 15.4 million people had been directly affected by the fl ood with nearly
a million homes damaged or destroyed. The land along the Indus River is prime farmland,
and nearly 80 percent of the fl ood victims are farmers who have lost crops, animals, and
equipment. At least 3.2 million hectares of crops had been destroyed as of August 18, reported
the United Nations Offi ce for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Holli Riebeek, NASA
Earth Observation). NASA image by Robert Simmon, based on Landsat 5 data from the USGS
Global Visualization Viewer (NASA Earth Observatory).