Track-II diplomacy - Building disaster resilience in Pakistan and India

Abstract

Pakistan and India are equally vulnerable to disasters as the two countries have similar geography, climate, and environmental attributes. Both the countries bear losses due to crossborder hydro-climatic disasters and seismic activities. The conflict between Pakistan and India restricts the movement of people, goods and transport across borders. However, climatic hazards and disaster risks exist beyond borders and equally harm both of them. Pakistan is most vulnerable to flash floods and earthquakes while same is the case with India in terms of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, droughts and cyclones (as it has a large coastline). In South Asia, heavy monsoon rains and floods played havoc in recent years and the increased intensity of disasters is adversely affecting the region thus undoing the development gains in terms of reducing poverty and hunger. During 1990 -2008, over 750 million people were affected. Among them 230,000 had died and a loss of US$45 billion was incurred; both Pakistan and India have to share major losses (World Bank 2009). Tsunami (2004), earthquake (2005), and droughts, cyclones and floods during the period caused havoc with the lives and livelihood of millions of people in both countries.