Flooding in Pakistan: Rethinking the Dam Debate

Abstract

Pakistan faces a grave issue of consistent flooding which has a massive impact on the country. The constantly recurring floods destroy the agriculture of Pakistan and this in turn affects the livelihood and income source of the agricultural workers. Furthermore, the damage to the country's infrastructure is also a setback. When remediation measures are suggested, one of the most often presented solutions is the creation of dams, however, they are far from being an easily managed solution. The creation of dams as a remediation measure is also not the easiest solution due to the excessive ecological, financial, as well as social costs which are required for this to go through. The main essence of this article is examining the advantages and limitations of the construction of dams in Pakistan. This article will discuss various approaches which will focus on solutions related to selective infrastructure with ecosystem-based adaptation, cooperation within boundaries, as well as urban planning which cannot be easily affected by climatic conditions.