‘ESA’s satellite images corroborate Pakistan’s viewpoint’

Islamabad : The satellite data captured by the European Space Agency (ESA) has now confirmed that more than one-third of Pakistan is under water after flash flooding during monsoon rains.

A government official told this correspondent that the data captured from space through Copernicus Sentinel-1 on August 30 has been used to map the extent of flooding that is currently devastating Pakistan. “The Copernicus Sentinel-1 image showed a wide view of the area affected that also included Dera Murad Jamali and Larkana. It showed that the Indus River has overflowed, effectively creating a long lake, tens of kilometres wide,” he said.

The Copernicus Emergency Management Service has been activated to provide flood maps from space to help responders deal with the crisis. He said now the donor countries have no doubt about the intensity of the natural disaster that has severely affected Pakistan, adding “Various international news channels have broadcast appeals for flood victims in Pakistan including BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky.”

The ESA has said while much of Europe is on drought alert, Pakistan is awash. Heavy monsoon rainfall–ten times heavier than usual–since mid-June has led to more than a third of the country now being underwater. This catastrophic flood has claimed the lives of more than 1,100 people and more than 33 million, one in seven Pakistanis, have been affected by flooding. Homes, croplands and infrastructure have been washed away.

It also referred to the statement of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that described the flood as the worst in the country’s history and said it would cost at least 10 billion dollars to repair damaged infrastructure.

Pakistan has a history of major floods, which is hardly surprising given the terrain /geology and climate. With the increasing risks of climate change and population increase, it, therefore, raises questions about why new habitation continues in areas of such high risk. The official said that Europe’s Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission carries a radar instrument to see through clouds and rain darkness, making

it particularly useful for monitoring floods.