Over the past two months, catastrophic floods have displaced millions of people across Pakistan and cost thousands of lives. Fields, houses and infrastructure were destroyed on a large scale, causing damage worth billions of rupees. After causing historic havoc in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Punjab, the floodwaters reached the Indus Delta.
But unlike other parts of the country, the people of the Sindh Delta are not only happy with this water, but also welcome it. Farmers in Thatta, like Nadir Ali, who happily celebrated the arrival of floodwaters by performing a traditional Sindhi dance on a boat, say: “If the Delta continues to receive water, we will be able to grow premium red rice again.”
According to Adam Gandhro, leader of the Sindh Fishermen’s Forum, the absence of river water over the past 15 years has allowed the sea to devour the land. More than a hundred villages were razed, forcing populations to migrate. Journalist Nizakat Shah reports that over the past 30 years, the sea has swallowed up 2.2 million acres of land, from Karachi to Badin. Currently, the sea encroaches on one acre of land daily while around 30 acres of land is affected by salinity daily.
The joy of fishermen
The recent rise in fresh water has pushed back the sea. Fishermen are returning to their villages because, after years, they can catch Palla fish again. “Our real celebration is the day when fresh water reaches the delta,” explained Dhani Bakhsh.
Recovery of forests and livelihoods
Gandhro claims that if 450,000 cusecs of water flows into the Delta, the mangroves and timber forests will be fully nourished. “After the 1991 water deal, the Delta did not receive its share of water, reducing forests from 600,000 acres to just 300,000. There is now hope that these forests will thrive again,” added Aslam Mir Bah.
Drought and the intrusion of the sea have deprived not only fishermen but also loggers of their means of subsistence. Today, people like Muhammad Bakhsh are returning to the timber trade.
Impact on health and environment
Salinity in groundwater has caused serious health problems. “The use of salt water has increased cases of kidney disease, bone weakness and miscarriages among pregnant women,” said social activist Humeira Ali.
The return of fresh water will not only improve agriculture but also attract migratory birds that had abandoned the region due to marine intrusion.
Holidays of joy
With the arrival of fresh water, communities in the Delta organize Palla fish festivals and congratulate each other. For them, this water brings life, prosperity and hope for the future.
Read: The fate of the Indus Delta
For fishermen living along the Sindh coast, the ups and downs of life depend on the quality and quantity of the river water flowing through their area. However, in recent times, the flow of the Indus to these areas has reduced significantly, allowing seawater to infiltrate and destroy the land and livelihoods of fishing families.
Yasmeen Shah, central leader of Pakistan Fishermen’s Forum, revealed that land erosion in coastal areas of Sindh was first reported in 1950. “So far, around 3.5 million acres of land have already been lost to the sea. The fishing community has suffered the most since their villages were washed away by the sea, forcing thousands of families to leave their areas. job,” Shah revealed.
“Due to the policies of the Sindh government, the contract system in the fisheries sector has been strengthened, which has seriously affected the employment of poor fishermen. On the other hand, no social security arrangements have been made for fishermen at the government level,” Shah added. Referring to the federal government’s new fisheries policy, Shah said it would further threaten the employment of fishermen by protecting the interests of big companies seeking to prosper in the fishing sector.
According to disaster management and resettlement expert Naseer Memon, before the construction of the Tarbela dam, around 300,000 cusecs of water reached Sindh’s Kutcha region every year, an amount that rose to 500,000 cusecs every three to four years.
“Some experts estimate that in 2022, a large amount of water flowed from the Kotri Dam into the sea, which could have been saved by constructing a dam on the Indus River. Although this water is not river water, a large amount has accumulated in the lower areas of Sindh due to the breach of the Manchar Lake. At least 12 million acres of water are required for the water storage projects existing, notably the dam of Bhasha, Mohmand Dam, Kachchi Canal, Raini Canal,” Memon noted.
Learn more: Death of a delta: Pakistan’s Indus sinks and shrinks
Memon further informed that after the Kotri dam, the Indus river has to travel 300 miles to reach the sea. “On the route of the river are three districts of Sindh, Thatta, Sajawal and Badin, which are home to two million people. Don’t they need water? In such a situation, construction of new canals would mean depriving millions of people living in lower Sindh of drinking water,” pointed out Memon.
“Global experts say that at least 5,000 cusecs of water is required daily or 25 million acres in five years under Kotri to save the Indus Delta ecosystem. However, except in monsoon months, this amount of water never passes below Kotri, resulting in continuous marine intrusion. As a result, 5,00,000 hectares of fertile land in the coastal districts of the province fell under sea water,” Mémon explained.
Fatima Majeed, newly elected chairperson of the Fishermen’s Cooperative Society for the Welfare of Fishermen, said: The Express PK Press Club that the fishing community had been facing problems for a long time. “Increasing employment opportunities of fishermen and launching their welfare projects will be our top priority. We will also try to increase fish exports so that more employment opportunities can be provided to fishermen,” Majeed said.
The Express PK Press Club tried to contact Sindh Director General of Fisheries Siraj Ahmed Solangi to inquire about the steps taken by the Sindh government to protect the rights of fishermen, but despite waiting for a long time, no response was received from him.
