Sir: My home province of Sindh has a number of small and large canals and lakes, and a large chunk of the province’s 0.5 million people depend on these, including the Indus River’s canals and lakes for a living and for transportation. Unfortunately, many of these are now either drying up or have choked due to pollution and encroachment. Rampant dumping by domestic households, hospitals, oil and gas companies and industrial waste have polluted more or less all the canals, streams and lakes in the province. Insatiable land grabbers and industries, in particularly from the industrial zone in Kotri and Nooriabad, continue to dump untreated effluents into the Keenjhar Lake. The famous Manchhar Lake in Dadu district and a few other lakes in my home town of Larkano, and Nawabshah have already been polluted. Their water is now so polluted that all the fish have died and migratory birds that used to visit and shelter from chilly and frosty winter in the Central Asian Republics and Siberia have ceased to come. Increasing filth and human waste have turned this lake into a black gel. Even rowing across the lake is now difficult because it smells so badly.
The River Indus, which is considered the ‘lifeline’ of the entire province, is being polluted from this particular point where it passes. Unfortunately, encroachment, dumping of industrial waste and other abuses occur with the full knowledge of the authorities but they have become insular, insensitive and indifferent when it comes to taking action against the polluters, refusing to save the rivers, lakes, canals and lives dependent on these, including those of people, fish, birds and livestock. Unabated encroachment, which prevents the free flow of water, the dumping of hospital waste and the waste of tourists at famous lakes such as Keenjhar, Haleji, etc, have compounded the problem. This does not only cause flooding in the province but also makes the water unusable for humans and livestock, the growing of vegetables and flowers. Those who use the contaminated/polluted water of these rivers, canals and lakes have contracted stomach and skin diseases in the province. Is there anyone to take notice of this matter and save the water resources and lives from pollution and death in the province?
HASHIM ABRO
Islamabad