Investigating the Inter-Relationships among Humanitarian Issues Arising Out of Floods in Pakistan

Abstract

The study aims to investigate the inter-relationships among humanitarian issues arising from floods in Pakistan.  The study's overall design comprises a review of relevant literature, primary data collection, structural modeling, and analysis of the phenomena. The method of modeling is “Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM)” and the process of analysis is “Cross Impact Matrix Multiplication Applied to Classification (MICMAC)”. The population under study comprises the folks of stakeholders. The study follows a purposive sampling design (i.e. focus group consisting of a panel of experts) and the sample size is nineteen experts. The result of the literature discourse reveals that fifteen major humanitarian issues arise from floods. Results of ISM modeling show that issues namely: shelter loss of masses, agriculture damage, food shortage, community restoration, protection difficulties, education disruption, mal-nutrition, logistics disruption, coordination difficulties, and camp management difficulties occupy Level-I. Issues namely: problems of water and sanitation, health issues for affectees, food prices soaring, exacerbating fears of a new round of high inflation, and submerged lands occupy Level-II. Whereas, scale-centric MICMAC analysis shows that all the issues fall in the linkage cluster, whereas, data-centric MICMAC analysis shows that: problems of water and sanitation, health issues for affectees, food shortage, exacerbating fears of a new round of high inflation, and submerged lands results of analysis fall in the independent cluster; community restoration and coordination difficulties fall in the dependent cluster; and shelter loss of masses, agriculture damage, protection difficulties, education disruption, mal-nutrition, logistics disruption, camp management difficulties fall in linkage cluster. Whereas, there is no factor in the autonomous cluster, both in scale-centric and data-centric analysis. It is an original valuable study because it is based on real-time experimental first-hand data collected by authors who have hands on job of data collection for decades. It also uses unique and different methodologies to collect data, modeling, and analysis. This methodology is simple but unique, and understandable by a wide range of folks of stakeholders. Its results are also logically appealing and realistic corresponding to ground realities. The study will enrich the understanding of national/local governments, regulators, industry representatives, landowners/farmers, the general public (including households, local communities, village committees, community workers local labor, disabled people, minorities, senior citizens, and women, etc.), the scientific community and others contributors to system, institutions engaged in disaster management, international donor agencies, academia, politicians & political parties, flood-prone communities, NGOs, volunteers, regional institutions, media, suppliers of goods & material, civil organizations, private institutions and other affected, interested or vulnerable groups (like social beneficiary groups, non-social beneficiary groups, social adversely affected groups and non-social adversely affected groups) by way of deeper insights into the conundrum issue of floods.

Keywords: Humanitarian Issues, Floods, Pakistan, ISM, MICMAC