The silence over Sindh’s wetlands is deafening and telling. A shocking 15% decline in migratory bird populations has been recorded across the province’s key wetland sites. From Haleji Lake to Keenjhar Lake, the absence of birds that once flocked to these water bodies all the way from Siberia serves as a stark warning sign of a much deeper ecological crisis unfolding right before our eyes. Wetlands cover less than 10% of Pakistan’s landmass but support over 225 species of waterbirds, many of them migratory visitors from Siberia and Central Asia. These ecosystems recharge groundwater, regulate monsoonal floods, and sustain more than 2 million people in Sindh alone through fishing, farming, and livestock grazing. When they dry up, it won’t be the birds that vanish. Everything else, from agriculture to fisheries, would collapse with them. Do we still need another sign to scream the urgency of a water management crisis of monumental proportions? The Indus River, once a lifeline, is being heavily diverted upstream for agricultural use, leaving the habitats starved for water. According to the 2023 Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (EPA) report, nearly 80% of the freshwater inflow has been diverted, leaving critical ecosystems unable to sustain wildlife and local communities. The situation is fast becoming uncontrollable, thanks to the menacing roar of climate change. Pakistan has warmed at twice the global rate in recent decades, exacerbating the evaporation of water from these already fragile ecosystems. It goes without saying that slow suffocation from plastic pollution, and tonnes of single-use plastic leeching chemicals into what little water remains has added to the tragedy. The social and economic repercussions cannot be understated. Not any longer. Local fishing yields in Thatta and Badin have dropped by over 30% in the past five years, according to WWF-Pakistan. Ecotourism, once a small but promising sector around Keenjhar Lake, has dwindled as bird sightings become rarer and water quality deteriorates. Pakistan’s government must act now to address this crisis. The country has committed to environmental protection through international agreements like the Ramsar Convention, yet the enforcement of these commitments remains weak. What’s needed is a comprehensive strategy for water management reform, sustainable irrigation practices, and a commitment to restoring our natural resources before it is too late. Losing our hospitality rights to guests who bring colour and a much-needed boost to pollination might not stir us, but this might: we have already lost 78% of the original wetlands. The birds are already leaving. Will we act before the last one flies? *