Flooding in Pakistan

Post updated on 07/09/2022

The unprecedented flooding in Pakistan has seen a third of the country under water and six million people in need of support, as homes and livelihoods are swept away by the country’s worst ever floods.

The disaster has been caused by heavy monsoon rains, together with glacier melt following an earlier heatwave, all of which are linked to climate change.

Overall, 110 of the country’s districts are affected, with over 1,200 killed, 1,500 injured and nearly 950,000 houses damaged. Among the most damaged districts are Sanghar, Shahdadpur, Matiari, Mirpurkhas, within lower Sindh.

We are gathering information on the extent of the impact on Better Cotton farming communities and will be able to share more information with our members and stakeholders in the coming weeks. Better Cotton licensing will resume once the situation has stabilised. We are also looking at the possibility of Growth & Innovation Fund recipients in Pakistan being able to redirect any unspent funds to support local communities in the most relevant ways during this challenging time.  

What is the impact on Better Cotton and its partners?

In the hardest hit areas, many farming families are living in temporary accommodation and relief camps. More than 330 Better Cotton Field Facilitators are reporting either damage to their homes or loss of crops and livestock and our partners continue to try to reach our network to ensure everyone is safe. 

Our Programme Partners in the most affected Better Cotton production areas of Sindh and Punjab, including CABI, REEDS, WWF-Pakistan, Lok Sanjh Foundation and Santgani Women Rural Development Organisation, are supporting farming communities through flood relief efforts and providing basic humanitarian support.

We are gathering further information on the extent of the impact on Better Cotton farming communities and will be able to share more information with our members and stakeholders by mid-September.

Better Cotton staff based in Lahore are safe and are not impacted by the floods.

What is Better Cotton doing?

Better Cotton is looking at ways to support the Better Cotton community in affected communities through our partners. We are also looking at the possibility of Growth & Innovation Fund recipients in Pakistan being able to redirect any unspent 2022 funds to support local communities in the most relevant ways during this challenging time.

Climate change is and will continue to create catastrophic events and Better Cotton is committed to continue its actions to build resilience, however, we are not able to take on humanitarian support as is urgently needed now.

We encourage our Members to support the UNHCR relief effort or the work by the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Does Better Cotton foresee any supply disruption?

Better Cotton licensing will resume once the situation has stabilised. There will be an impact on the supply of licensed Better Cotton volumes from Pakistan, the extent of which is yet to be determined. Better Cotton is grown in 24 countries and there is adequate inventory in the supply chain. We do not foresee supply disruption that will impact Retailer and Brand Members in 2022.

Members may have seen numbers reported in the trade media regarding the amount of Better Cotton production lost due to the flooding. These numbers are unconfirmed, and we will provide a more detailed update to Better Cotton Members when available later this month.

Where can I find out more information about the flooding?

Members can speak with the following contact to find out more about the situation:

Pakistan Central Cotton Committee 
Director, Directorate of Marketing & Economic Research 
Pakistan Central Cotton Committee, Multan  Contact # :+92-61-9201657
Fax #:+92-61-9201658 
[email protected]  http://www.pccc.gov.pk/cotton-market-report.html 

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