Pakistan Flood Pictures: Millions Flee Rising Rivers

Desperate for Food

Photograph by Paula Bronstein, Getty Images

Pakistan's food crops—including rice, corn, and wheat—have been devastated by the recent floods (pictured, survivors scramble for rice rations provided by the military at a tent camp August 19).

A third of the country now sits underwater.< Ironically, some water engineers and environmental groups point to farming as a catalyst for the disaster.

(See "Pakistan Flooding Because of Farms?")

Pakistan has the world's largest contiguous irrigated landscape, with riverside agriculture and human-made canals replacing natural floodplains, wetlands, and river flows that would traditionally hold more water and ease flooding.

Published August 27, 2010

Villagers Evacuate

Photograph by Daniel Berehulak, Getty Images

Villagers in Vasandawali, in Pakistan's Pujab Province, evacuate as their fields are inundated on August 23.

Just as levees were breached during Hurricane Katrina—flooding large sections of New Orleans—embankments, levees, and canals along Pakistan's Indus River are bursting at the seams, according to the Getty news service.

(For more news, visit National Geographic's freshwater website.)

Published August 27, 2010

Helicopter Relief

Photograph by Kevin Frayer, AP

The Pakistani Navy delivers supplies to a man stranded on his roof in Sindh Province, Pakistan, last week.

Scientists have suggested the Russian wildfires (see pictures) and the Pakistan floods are connected by the Asian monsoon, one of the most powerful atmospheric forces on the planet.

(See "Russia Fires, Pakistan Floods Linked?")

Published August 27, 2010

Out of House and Home

Photograph by Daniel Berehulak, Getty Images

Residents of Nowshera, Pakistan, remove furniture from their homes on August 2.

The environmental stresses in Pakistan—combined with other social, economic, and political pressures—could threaten border security with Afghanistan, China, and India.

The disaster may also open doors for terrorists, according to a new U.S. Congressional Research Report.For instance, the U.S. has reported that the Taliban are threatening to target aid workers.

Published August 27, 2010

Waiting for Relief

Photograph by Daniel Berehulak, Getty Images

Families wait for relief at a camp in Nowshera, Pakistan (seen on August 3).

Extreme events such as heat waves, drought, and monsoon floods are believed by some scientists to be increasing with global warming, and the disasters in Russia and Pakistan may be indications of this, Rosanne D'Arrigo, a research professor at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, said in an email to National Geographic News in July.

(See a world map of potential global warming impacts.)

Published August 27, 2010

All Wet

Photograph by Marwan Naamani, AFP/Getty Images

Floodwaters soak large areas of southern Punjab Province on August 10.

As floodwaters recede, thousands remain without food or shelter—though foreign aid is on its way. The UN has called the flooding an unprecedented disaster, according to the Getty news service.

Published August 27, 2010

Floods Make "Island"

Photograph by Aaron Favila, AP

Dozens of towns and villages in southern Pakistan are underwater, such as this house in Punjab Province (pictured August 21).

Beyond climate change and floodplain loss, another contributor to the devastating floods is Pakistan's accelerated rate of deforestation—one of the fastest in the world.

(See pictures of rain forest deforestation.)

Only four percent of the country's original forest cover remains intact, according to the nonprofit Pew Environment Group.

Published August 27, 2010

Waiting for Food

Photograph by Tim Wimborne, Reuters

Flood refugees wait for food near Nowshera, Pakistan, on August 23.

The U.S. has committed to $200 million of the $800 million in relief fund already collected, according to Reuters news service.

But by some estimates, rebuilding could cost up to $15 billion.

Published August 27, 2010

Fleeing the Floods

Photograph by Daniel Berehulak, Getty Images

Residents leave the village of Baseera in Punjab Province, Pakistan, on August 22.

This summer's floods have been the worst flood in 80 years, Getty news service reported.

Published August 27, 2010