by Chris Riedy
Introduction
Asia/Oceania
In July 2010, Pakistan experienced severe flooding from monsoon rains. Approximately one-fifth of the country was underwater (WFP, 2010), with more than 20 million people directly affected and a death toll of almost 2,000 (Asian Development Bank, 2010). The total economic impact has been estimated at 9 to 11 billion USD (Asian Development Bank, 2010). This type of event is consistent with climate change projections, which see a temporary increase in water availability due to melting of glaciers in the Himalayas, followed by a gradual decline in water availability (Cruz et al., 2007). If these projections are accurate, flooding is the short-term problem but water security will be the long-term problem for South Asia.(continue…)