Impacts of riverbank erosion and flooding on communities along the Indus River, Pakistan

Higher intensity of climatic dynamics has raised disasters incidence of floods and riverbank erosion which increased livelihood vulnerability of farming community particularly resides in flood prone locality. Objective of this study is to examine Indus River current tendency of shifting course with raising outcomes of floods and riverbank erosion and its impact on livelihood of Bait and riverbank areas community in Pakistan. Secondary and primary date were applied in the study while primary data of 380 households collected from Bait and riverbank area. Satellite images from 2000 to 2022 were used for analysis procedure which pictured as Indus River course continuing to shifting eastern side and eroding villages in succession. Empirical estimates indicated as inhabited households are confronted with multidimensional obstructions to sustaining their livelihood in native area. Frequent land losses due to riverbank erosion enforce each year majority of households to displace from their native areas. Resettlement issues and inadequate public support, disaster mitigation mechanism becomes unfeasible to get better from dreadful circumstances of susceptible inhabited population. Construction of embankment, criss-cross embankment pillars, sandbags and boulder pitching are some State-based significant policy measures to protect inhabited population from forthcoming floods and riverbank collapses. Outcomes of such government protective measures remained unsatisfied due to inappropriate implementation of such strategies. State-based central and local authorities must manage appropriate rehabilitation measures and its fast track implementation to maintain livelihood sustainability of riverbank erosion and flood prone inhabitant households.