Nature Based Solution for Flood Mitigation, Nowshera District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan

Abstract

Nowshera District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan is badly hit by flooding as the district is located on the bank of Kabul and Indus River; a flood prone stretch of 15 km between M1 Kabul River Bridge and Nowshera makes it highly vulnerable to flood hazards. Recurrent flood events have also occurred in the area, in 2010 and 2022, due to high river discharges and heavy monsoon rains, resulting in damage to infrastructure, agriculture and communities in both floods. Flood damage and loss, estimated at around US$10 billion and US$3.7 billion respectively, was so great that up to 90 % of the families in the district were displaced and there was widespread damage to homes, public facilities and businesses. The nationwide devastation caused by the monsoon floods in 2022 further compounded flood effects across the country, with the total economic losses in the country estimated at over US $30 billion as a result of widespread damage to roads, bridges, health facilities, schools and livestock (Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2024; Khan et al., 2024; NDMA, 2022). In this study, NbS that can be applied to reduce flood risk in Nowshera, such as wetland restoration, riparian buffers, bioretention systems, permeable pavements, and floodplain reconnection, were reviewed. Global and Pakistan-specific studies were synthesized in a systematic literature review to identify best practices and evaluate the effectiveness of NbS in reducing runoff and peak flow (where NbS can significantly retain rainfall, and reduce peaks, up to ~60 %); showing their potential contribution to sustainable flood management. Space, maintenance requirements and poor governance are challenges, job creation and improved community resilience are opportunities. The recommendations suggest measures for integrating NbS into urban planning and governance processes to increase the resilience of Nowshera District to flooding and promote sustainability.

Keywords: Nowshera District; flood risk; monsoon flooding; Kabul River; Nature-based Solutions (NbS); flood mitigation; Pakistan.