[01] Muhammad Iqbal Javed Akhter, Military College of Engineering, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. [02] Muhammad Irfan, Military College of Engineering, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. [03] Naeem Shahzad, Military College of Engineering, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. [04] Rehan Ullah, Military College of Engineering, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan.

Rapid advancement in technology brought dramatic changes in population growth, which ultimately leads to natural and man-made disasters such as global warming, greenhouse gases, the rise in sea level, land sliding, floods etc. Among natural disasters, floods are most destructive and notorious. Floods are natural phenomena which cannot be stopped but its adverse effects can be reduced through structural and non-structural measures. Factors contributing to the vulnerability of local community can be addressed using indigenous knowledge. This study provides a vivid picture of problems arises due to floods being faced by the local community of district Charsadda. The focus of the study is to highlight all those factors, which directly or indirectly contribute to flood occurrence. The recommendations provided by this paper are solely based on indigenous knowledge and local community perceptions and suggestions. This study could be helpful to all the government departments and non-government organization to understand the major causes of floods. It will help them in development of risk reduction measures and policies.

Vulnerability, Hazard, Mitigation, Local Community, Risk, Flood

[01] Adger, W. N. (2006). Vulnerability. Global environmental change, 16 (3), 268-281. [02] Ahmad, F., Kazmi, S. F., & Pervez, T. (2011). Human response to hydro-meteorological disasters: A case study of the 2010 flash floods in Pakistan. Journal of Geography and Regional Planning, 4 (9), 518. [03] Ahmad, F., Hussain & Iqbal, B. (2010). Flood Risk Assessment in Pakistan. Pakistan Engineering Congress, 71 (9), 697-707. [04] Ahmed, Z. (2013). Disaster risks and disaster management policies and practices in Pakistan: A critical analysis of Disaster Management Act 2010 of Pakistan. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 4, 15-20. [05] Bronstert, A. (2003). Floods and climate change: interactions and impacts. Risk Analysis, 23 (3), 545-557. [06] Dilley, M. (2006). Setting priorities: global patterns of disaster risk. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 364 (1845), 2217-2229. [07] Dixit, K., & Ahmed, I. (2009). Managing the Himalayan Watershed: A Flood of Questions. Economic and Political Weekly, 2772-2774. [08] Dixon, k. Robert and Perry, A. James. (2007). Upland Watershed Management in Rural Pakistan. American Water Worker Association, 78 (7), 72-79. [09] Dorosh, P., Malik, S. J., & Krausova, M. (2010). Rehabilitating agriculture and promoting food security after the 2010 Pakistan floods: Insights from the South Asian experience. The Pakistan Development Review, 167-192. [10] Few, R. (2003). Flooding, vulnerability and coping strategies: local responses to a global threat. Progress in Development Studies, 3 (1), 43-58. [11] Haq, Ul. Ehsan. (2011). Community response to climate hazard in Northern Pakistan. Maintain Research and Development, 27 (4), 308-312. [12] Hashmi, H. N., Siddiqui, Q. T. M., Ghumman, A. R., & Kamal, M. A. (2012). A critical analysis of 2010 floods in Pakistan. African Journal of Agricultural Research, 7 (7), 1054-1067. [13] Houze Jr, R. A., Rasmussen, K. L., Medina, S., Brodzik, S. R., & Romatschke, U. (2011). Anomalous atmospheric events leading to the summer 2010 floods in Pakistan. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 92 (3), 291-298. [14] Hussain, I., Spock, G., Pilz, J., and Yu, H. L. (2010). Spatio-Temporal interpolation of precipitation during monsoon periods in Pakistan. Advances in Water Resources, 33, 880-886. [15] Khan, B., Iqbal, M. J., & Yosufzai, M. A. K. (2011). Flood risk assessment of river Indus of Pakistan. Arabian Journal of Geosciences, 4 (1-2), 115-122. [16] Khan, M. S., & Mohmand, Z. H. (2011). Environmental Effects of Hazardous Flood of 2010 in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Pakistan, its Causes, and Management. Science International, 23 (2), 147-152. [17] Khan, R & Ayesha. (2010). Floods and Fighting: State of Crisis. Chatam House, 66 (10), 6-8. [18] Khandekar, M. L. (2010). 2010 Pakistan floods: climate change or natural variability?. CMOS Bulletin SCMO, 38 (5). [19] Kurosaki, T., & Khan, H. (2011). Floods, relief aid, and household resilience in rural Pakistan: Findings from a pilot survey in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Journal, 1 (2), 79-107. [20] Macklin, M. G., & Rumsby, B. T. (2007). Changing climate and extreme floods in the British uplands. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 32 (2), 168-186. [21] Mercer, J., Kelman, I., Lloyd, K., & Suchet‐Pearson, S. (2008). Reflections on the use of participatory research for disaster risk reduction. Area, 40 (2), 172-183. [22] Mustafa, Daanish. (2005). Structural Causes of Vulnerability to Flood Hazard in Pakistan. Clark University, 74 (3), 289-305. [23] Osti, R., Tanaka S., and Tokioka, T. (2008). Flood Hazard Mapping in Development Countries: Problems and prospects. Disaster Prevention and Management, 17 (1), 104-133. [24] Parker, J. D, and Harding, M. D. (1997). Natural Hazard Evaluation, Perception and Adjustment. Geophysical Association, 64 (4), 307-316. [25] Tariq, M. A. U. R., & van de Giesen, N. (2012). Floods and flood management in Pakistan. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, 47, 11-20. [26] Warraich, H., Zaidi, A. K., & Patel, K. (2011). Floods in Pakistan: a public health crisis. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 89 (3), 236-237. [27] Webster, P. J., Toma, V. E., & Kim, H. M. (2011). Were the 2010 Pakistan floods predictable?. Geophysical research letters, 38 (4).