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   July 11, 2022 - Flooding from Heavy Rains in Western Pakistan   
      
      Flooding from Heavy Rains in Western Pakistan   
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      Pakistan sits at the crossroads of Asia and the Middle East, nestled   
      between India (east), Iran and Afghanistan (west), and China to the   
      north. One of the longest rivers in the world, the Indus River, rises   
      from glaciers in the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges, flows   
      southward through Pakistan, then empties into the Arabian Sea.   
      
      The ebb and flow of the Indus—indeed the ebb and flow of life   
      throughout the region—depends on both temperature and rainfall. Rain is   
      lowest in the cool, dry winter (December to February) and through much   
      of the hot, dry spring (March through May). The springtime heat brings   
      glacial melt and is followed by monsoonal rains which peak from July   
      through September, and retreat in October to November.   
      
      Pakistan often suffers from drought, especially in times of rising   
      temperatures. In May of 2022, the United Nations listed Pakistan among   
      23 countries which are facing drought emergencies during 2020-2022. On   
      top of ongoing drought, a fierce heatwave struck Pakistan this spring,   
      leading to the hottest March recorded in India since 1901. Temperatures   
      in Nawabshahn reached 49.5˚C (121˚F) in March while two other cities,   
      Jacobabad and Sibi, reached 47˚C (117˚F). Jacobabad broke its newly-set   
      record in April, when temperatures reached 49˚C (120.2˚F) The extreme   
      heat melted so much ice on Shisper Glacier that it created a lake,   
      which subsequently flooded. This glacier lake outburst flood was so   
      strong that in early May it triggered the collapse of the Hassanabad   
      Bridge on the Karakorum Highway in the Hunza Valley.   
      
      The dangerous heatwave was followed by the second-driest April in   
      Pakistan since 1961. Rainfall in April was reported to be about 74   
      percent below normal across the country, especially in Punjab, which   
      was said to have received 89 percent less rain than average. Yet   
      rainfall did occur in some areas, and was unpredictably severe at   
      times. For example, on April 21, the town of Larkana in the Sindh   
      region received 38 mm (1.5 inches) of rain, along with a hailstorm—said   
      to be the first hailstorm ever recorded in Larkana in April.   
      
      Despite the drought and in part because of glacier-melting heat,   
      localized flooding was reported in several parts of the country as   
      early as May, even before monsoonal rains began. Floods have continued   
      through June and became more widespread and severe by July. On July 4,   
      torrential rains began to pour on Balochistan Province. By July 9,   
      media reported at that eight dams had burst due to the monsoonal   
      storms, with at least 57 people killed and hundreds left homeless in   
      that region. According to a government report published by Reliefweb,   
      as of July 10, 147 people have been killed and 160 injured due to   
      flooding across Pakistan since June 14.   
      
      On July 8, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a false-color image of   
      flooding in western Pakistan. In this type of image, infrared and   
      visible light are combined to help separate water (deep blue) and   
      vegetation (bright green). Clouds can appear white or bright blue.   
      
      The image reveals a widespread swath of bright vegetation along the   
      plains of the Indus River. The Indus itself is filled with muddy   
      sediment along much of its winding course, likely carried from flooding   
      and glacial meltwaters to the north. To the west of the green plains,   
      the land of Blochistan province is painted in blue. Not only are rivers   
      overflowing, but the water is so widespread that some localities appear   
      to almost be marshland. The area covered by floodwaters, as measured   
      through the NASA Worldview App, extends for more than 13,000 square   
      kilometers (5,020 square miles).   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 7/8/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (224.2 KB),  500m (403.1 KB),  250m (343.2   
      KB)   
      Bands Used: 7,2,1   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-07-11   
       
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