onger than a year after the devastating floods, women and girls in the affected areas continue to face problems, including homelessness, privacy, safety, lack of livelihood and the absence of adequate restroom facilities.

Jarar Bhel is a village in Badin, the southernmost district of Sindh, nestled on the fringes of the Indus delta. The village is home to about 150 households. It is inhabited predominantly by members of the Hindu community. It was one of the areas hardest hit by the devastating floods of 2022.

“My daughters had no access to proper bathroom facilities. I had to use my dupatta or a chaddar to provide them privacy. Upon our return home, these challenges persisted. Recently, we have received a temporary toilet, which has been a significant relief in terms of maintaining privacy,” says Ghulam Bibi, a resident of Jarar Bhel, mother to four daughters and a son.

The 2023 report by the United Nations Development Programme highlights the difficulties faced by women and girls in areas affected by the 2022 floods. In Sindh, 80 percent of the girls lack proper latrine facilities. 53 percent of women and girls struggle to get enough water, maintain privacy and handle menstrual hygiene.

The official records reveal that climate change-induced extreme weather events in Pakistan have destroyed houses, leaving millions of residents homeless in recent years. This has also affected vulnerable groups, such as women, who have significantly less property compared to men.

According to the World Bank document, the floods led to over $30 billion damage and losses. Housing was the worst affected sector – surpassing agriculture, livestock, transport and communications – with about $5.6 billion in damage. These floods affected 33 million people. 1,730 lives were lost.

Sindh suffered the most damage, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the losses.

Housing took the biggest hit, accounting for 35 percent of the damage. The government of Sindh conducted a survey that found that around 2.1 million houses were damaged, 1.44 million of those were completely destroyed.

In some recent cases the government’s response after an extreme weather event has improved women’s right to own property.

For the rehabilitation of flood-affected people, the government has launched the Sindh People’s Housing Scheme for Flood Affected. Under the scheme, a sizable number of women will be given ownership of the houses. More women than the national average will end up owning their houses.

“37 percent or 700,000-800,000 of those benefiting from the Sindh People’s Housing programme, aimed at helping flood victims rebuild their homes in various districts of Sindh, are women.” Khalid Mehmood Shaikh, chief executive officer of Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affecteed tells this scribe.

“As you can see, there is still water standing. No one helped us rebuild our homes. We built the meager houses on our own,” says Miraan, a 35-year-old mother of five children.

“Being merely registered under a woman’s name is insufficient. If a woman’s name is on the house and three months later her husband says it should be transferred in his name, nothing can be done. Establishing a legal system is necessary to empower women,” he adds.

According to a World Economic Forum document from 2017, women own less than 20 percent of the world’s land. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aim for equal rights to land ownership by 2030.

Not everyone can benefit from the government’s housing scheme, primarily due to the overwhelming number of people affected by the floods.

“Our homes were completely destroyed by the torrential rains and floods. The water in the nullah overflowed at 2am and inundated our houses. My family and I narrowly escaped the floodwaters. The flood left us with nothing.

“Before the floods, my wife used to work in the nearby fields. After almost a year of flooding, she was confined to our home because a large portion of the land was still submerged. There was no work available for women any longer.

“The government provided us with some assistance. Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto had announced plans to provide homes for flood-affected people, but so far, no government team has contacted us. We are currently residing in tattered tents. I appeal to him to help us rebuild our homes,” says Pathaai, a 68-year-old resident of Jarar Bhel.

A joint document of the National Commission on the Status of Women and the United Nations Development Programme examines the fallout of climate stress on vulnerable communities like women. It says that women and young girls are the worst affected.

“Around 9.1 million women work in agriculture, playing a crucial role in food production and security. However, they are often unpaid, have less time to themselves and are more vulnerable to exploitation than men. Women’s ownership of land and assets is minimal, with only two percent owning houses or agricultural land compared to 72 percent of men,” the NCSW document says.

“We lived in the camp for four months and faced problems like lack of food, water and security. No one helped us. Some residents of Pangrio brought cooked food for us. “When we went out of the camp, some men used to tease us. We were afraid of going to the toilet at night. Poisonous insects and reptiles were a major concern. Nothing was left of our houses when we returned.

“As you can see, there is still water in the fields. No one helped us rebuild our homes. We built the meager ones on our own,” says Miraan, a 35-year-old mother of five children.

Stagnant flood water remains a major source of diseases among the residents.

“The standing water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes, leading to the spread of several diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea and skin diseases. In the absence of adequate medical facilities during the floods, out of 15 pregnant women, four ended up giving birth in the camps.

“There is no healthcare facility nearby, so the patients have to be taken 15 kilometres away to access basic treatment. These families were once farmers, cultivating a quarter of their land as owners, but their land is still submerged, leaving them without income and means of livelihood,” says Samina, a worker associated with a local organisation called Laar that provided health and other facilities to women and girls in need in Badin district.

The author is a Karachi-based journalist. She tweets @ asifaidris