The year 2014 is the fifth consecutive year when Pakistan is undergoing extreme weather conditions. In July 2010, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the Punjab provinces were affected by record rains causing heavy floods, 1700 deaths and disruptive impact on over 20 million people, a magnitude higher than the total number of people affected by the 2004 tsunami in Indian Ocean, the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

In September 2011, a massive flood severely hit Sindh province, caused over 400 deaths, affected 8 million people, and inundated 1.7 million acres of arable land. In 2012, Pakistan received unprecedented rainfall resulting in over 450 deaths and affecting more than 5 million people along with thousands of acres of arable land in KP, Southern Punjab and Upper Sindh.

Intense rainfall caused flooding yet again in August 2013, but this time in different pockets throughout the country, including KP, Karachi city, and central Punjab, resulting in around 200 deaths, and affecting 1.5 million people. To this series of flooding, the year 2014 is no exception, when a heavy cloudburst occurred once again over Kashmir Region resulting in huge devastation in Indian held Kashmir (IHK), Azad Kashmir as well as downstream areas of Pakistan. This time the death toll has risen to 500 people both in India and Pakistan besides other associated consequences.

This paper examines the causes of the series of flooding in Pakistan, associating it to increased Green House Gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. It also recommends more efficient flood management mechanisms which includes:

Cross-country cooperation between Pakistan and india
Inter-agency information sharing
Autonomy of government bodies
Effective local governments
Overriding consideration in reservoir regulation policy
Early weather warnings
Avoidance of unplanned developments at river banks