Pakistan, after the 2022 floods, the country faces a serious food crisis with millions of children already affected by acute malnutrition

ROME – Despite nearly a year since the floods, Pakistan is facing a serious food crisis, exacerbated by pre-existing levels of malnutrition in the rain-affected regions. The most exposed are the youngest: in fact, inadequate nutrition is already the cause of almost half of all deaths in children under five years of age. One in five children in this age group suffer from wasting, with rates of severe and moderate acute malnutrition of 8 per cent and 9.7 per cent respectively.

Malnutrition grows in flooded areas. The data needed to understand the trend of malnutrition is alarming especially in the 84 districts affected by the monsoon floods of 2022. In these areas the average rate of severe acute malnutrition is 12 percent and affects over 3.5 million children. Of these, more than 1.45 million are in need of ready-to-use therapeutic food care due to severe wasting. Several factors contribute to acute malnutrition, including poor maternal nutrition, inadequate sanitation, and limited access to essential food services and nutritious diets.

Food insecurity. According to the data of last June 5, released by theIntegrated Food Security Phase Classification, a tool that serves to analyze food security and therefore to guide the decision-making process, around 10.5 million people, or 29 percent of the sample analysed, in 43 districts in vulnerable provinces of Pakistan are facing insecurity acute food. Within this slice, approximately 2.1 million individuals, or 6 percent, are already in the emergency phase, while 8.4 million people, 23 percent, are experiencing a crisis phase. All these areas including Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh were severely affected by monsoon rains and floods in late 2022.

The food crisis in the near future. The rains have had a major impact on food production, consumption, livelihoods and job opportunities. Rising food prices and limited livelihood options have further exacerbated the food crisis. The situation could worsen between November 2023 and January 2024, when an estimated 11.8 million people could experience levels of acute food insecurity. By the end of May, the Government of Pakistan and its humanitarian partners reached more than 7.71 million people in flood-affected areas, providing life-saving assistance

The new rains. Since May 2023, Pakistan has been hit again by an alternation of moderate rains and heavy thunderstorms that kicked up dust and brought hail, which once again caused extensive damage to property and crops. On June 10, the aftermath of heavy rain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab province left at least 31 people dead and 160 injured. In other provinces, schools, houses collapsed and more than 150 livestock were killed

We prepare for new emergencies. The monsoon season is coming, so the government of Pakistan and the aid agencies working in the area are preparing new contingency plans in case of need. An important aspect of this process is the inclusion of women in planning projects to ensure that the needs of vulnerable people are not overlooked.