Real Time Evaluation of IFRC Response to 2010 Pakistan Floods

Torrential monsoon rains in late July 2010 triggered the worst floods to hit Pakistan since 1929. The floodwaters initially hit the northern provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan-administered Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit Baltistan (GB), spread to parts of Balochistan, and eventually reached the Punjab and Sindh provinces in the south. By the end of October, the waters had receded in most affected areas. However, many areas in Sindh remained inundated, with over 3,000 facilities housing over a million displaced people. There have been 1,984 deaths and 2,946 people injured by the floods. It is estimated that more than 20 million people out of Pakistan’s population of 170 million have been affected, and the damage to livelihoods and infrastructure is severe. Almost two million hectares of agricultural land were destroyed in the floods, threatening severe food shortages in the coming months.

The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), together with other Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners, responded to the crisis with immediate relief distribution (food and non-food items), provision of emergency shelter, health and care, emergency water and sanitation services planned over an 18 month period. These plans were further developed to include activities to assist households in recovery and restarting livelihoods and the timeframe was extended to 24 months.

A real time evaluation (RTE) was commissioned by the IFRC secretariat1 from late October to mid- November 2010, with the purpose of assessing the ongoing IFRC response to the Pakistan floods, specifically the efficiency and effectiveness of management (internal processes, systems and mechanisms) and coordination. This information will be used to inform the ongoing flood response, as well as future emergency response operations.