“Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces in Pakistan are suffering from acute food shortages, according to a report released by the Global Report on Food Crises recently.”
Balochistan and Sindh are two of Pakistan’s provinces having the highest prevalence of food insecurity, malnutrition and poverty. In 2020, the population faced multiple shocks including high food prices, locust outbreaks, rains/flooding/snowfall/drought, all exacerbated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this IPC Acute Food Insecurity Analysis, ten rural districts of Balochistan and nine rural districts of Sindh were analysed.
A hike in food and fuel prices, drought conditions, livestock diseases, and unemployment issues have contributed to the rise in national food rates, Dawn reported.
Further, many Pakistan livestock holders expressed their concerns regarding reduced crop and livestock production due to inaccessibility of pasture and water, troubles in buying feed, and difficulty in accessing veterinary services, accompanied by the prevalent livestock diseases.
Lack of rainfall in Baluchistan and Sindh had significantly reduced the livestock and crop production, reported the newspaper. Moreover, in July and August both Baluchistan and Sindh reported that their livelihood income had been adversely affected by drought.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa faces a similar situation where inadequate rain had resulted in a steady decline in livestock and crop production. However, the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is considered to be worse owing to the conflict-ridden state of the place, aggravated by fodder shortages and the limited availability of drinking water.
Meanwhile, Pakistan is estimated to be in the top 10 list of the world’s countries facing water scarcity as well. Stressing on the cause of water issues, a UN representative cited climate change, floods, and drought as the reason.