In July, 2010 heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan regions overwhelmed the Indus River basin, it’s rivers swelled, causing flooding of epic proportions. At one point, approximately one-fifth of Pakistan's total land area was underwater, Pakistan government authorities reported. The floods directly affected over 20 million people, mostly by destruction of property, crops, livelihood and infrastructure, with a death toll of close to 2,000. The number of people affected by the flooding exceeds the combined total of individuals affected by the 2004Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The lack of clean drinking water and sanitation sparked diseases, such as gastroenteritis, diarrhea and skin diseases. Cases of cholera were also confirmed in the Swat valley. More than two million homes were destroyed and parts of the country left uninhabitable. The after effects will be longlasting on the people of Pakistan. A full recovery is expected to take years.
