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Applying Spatial Analysis to Assess Crop Damage: A Case Study of the Pakistan 2022 Floods

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Relation http://oar.icrisat.org/12648/
https://www.adb.org/publications/spatial-analysis-crop-damage-pakistan
http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/WPS240225-2
 
Title Applying Spatial Analysis to Assess Crop Damage: A Case Study of the Pakistan 2022 Floods
 
Creator Yamano, T
Gumma, M K
Panjala, P
Haq, N U
Fahad, M
Sato, N
Arif, B W
Saeed, U
 
Subject Floods
Remote Sensing
Climate Change
 
Description Pakistan is highly flood-prone and faces a growing risk of water-related disasters due to predicted impacts
of climate change. From 1950 to 2021, each of the major floods claimed more than 400 lives in Pakistan,
except the 1950 flood that claimed at least 2,000 lives. The latest flood in 2022 resulted in 1,678 deaths,
which included 555 children. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates
that 55,000 square kilometers of land were flooded.
This report presents how spatial analysis could be used to assess flood damage to agricultural production
by applying the analysis to the 2022 Pakistan floods. It recommends that spatial analysis capacity should
be established within government agencies to ensure better preparedness for mitigating damages of
future water-related disasters.
Using spatial analysis and a spectral mapping technique, the 2022 flood damage was assessed for four
periods during June–September 2022 in Pakistan. The assessment conducted during the first half
of September 2022 indicated that about 15% of crop areas were modestly or severely damaged. The
accuracy of the technique was verified by cross-checking with data gathered at the actual locations on
the ground. Subsequently, a monthly damage assessment system has been established and is circulating
monthly reports to government agencies to help them prepare for future floods and other crop damage.
Spatial mapping can also be used to assess the impact of crop disease, pest infestations, drought, and
others, and to inform policy makers and decision makers about situations pertinent to the national food
supply, export earnings, and crop insurance. Spatial mapping can provide estimations of crop health for
a wider area and do so faster than ground estimations, which require large amounts of resources, such as
labor and transport, and are difficult to implement after floods or other natural hazards.
Key recommendations to facilitate the use of technology to enhance crop monitoring are as follows:
(i) increase the number of geographic information system and remote sensing specialists in
relevant government agencies such as crop reporting services and statistics offices;
(ii) integrate the use of spatial analysis into statistical reporting systems to improve their
accuracy and timeliness. The spatial analysis can provide preliminary results that can be
verified by field observations;
(iii) familiarize policy makers with and enable them to interpret spatial analysis results to help
them make more effective decisions. Circulate periodic spatial analysis reports among
policy makers to earn their trust in the analysis; and
(iv) plan policy actions for early detection of crop damage, rapid field verifications, mobilization
of adequate financial and material resources, and effective communications with affected
populations. Images from spatial analysis can be released through media or posted on
government websites.
 
Publisher ADB publications
 
Date 2024-04
 
Type Monograph
NonPeerReviewed
 
Format application/pdf
 
Language en
 
Rights cc_by
 
Identifier http://oar.icrisat.org/12648/1/ADB%20Working%20Paper%20Series_.pdf
Yamano, T and Gumma, M K and Panjala, P and Haq, N U and Fahad, M and Sato, N and Arif, B W and Saeed, U (2024) Applying Spatial Analysis to Assess Crop Damage: A Case Study of the Pakistan 2022 Floods. Working Paper. ADB publications, Philippines.