Flood prevention methods

Pakistan estimates the total losses from its recent floods in 2022 could be as high as $40 billion, affecting millions and killing more than 1,730 since mid-June. Pakistan has about 145 million acre-feet (MAF) of water per annum, out of which, freshwater losses per annum to the sea in the form of floods is about 30MAF, about 15-20 per cent of annual water production in the Indus basin. Groundwater accounts for more than half of all irrigation requirements, but there is clear evidence that groundwater is being over-exploited through about more than one million Tubewells, according to a 2005 World Bank Report. The cost of installing tubewells in areas where the water-table depth is more than 24 meters is seven times higher compared to those areas where the water-table depth is around six metres, and the same is true with the increase of energy consumption for groundwater exploitation.