Investigating traditional construction techniques and local knowledge in response to flood vulnerabilities in Sindh, Pakistan

The Pacific region and Asia are mainly vulnerable to climate crises due to their reliance on natural resources, weak institutional frameworks, dense coastal populations, and high level of poverty. In Pakistan, climate change has led to an increase in the frequency and severity of floods with the 2022 flood submerging almost one third of the country, affecting and displacing millions. While existing studies addressed climate crises, a few studies focus on the construction techniques, traditional knowledge and craftsmanship, employed by local communities as adaptive measures. This study investigates the construction techniques of residential buildings in two severely affected villages in Sindh, assessing their resilience to flooding. By analyzing structural damage and the use of local materials through purposive sampling of three houses per village, combined with qualitative data from focus-group discussions, this research provide recommendations for resilient housing solutions and strategies to enhance community’s responses to flood risks benefitting governmental and NGO efforts to mitigate vulnerabilities.