Daily Times

MITHI: This year seasonal migration from Thar Desert to the barrage districts of Sindh may be started early, as recently issued report by United Nations has panicked the local residents and livestock owners.

United Nations has recently issued a report about the possible human catastrophe in Tharparkar, Umerkot and Sanghar districts if there are no monsoon rains this summer.

After which poor peasants and livestock owners got worried and they are planning to leave to barrage areas early this year.

“When there is drought, we don’t find food for ourselves and fodder for animals, due to which we prefer to migrate to nearby barrage areas in search of food for us and fodder for our animals and we heard recently that this year, drought is expected, therefore we are planning to move early,” said Sain Dad, a resident of a remote village of Thar Desert.

On average, Thar Desert witness drought on every alternate year and famine after every ten years, which triggers mass migration from the desert area and peasant and herders started walking along with their families and livestock to north to reach to lower and central and northern districts of the province, which irrigated on River Indus water, in search of fodder for their animals, labour and water. A large number of cattle also die during such arduous journeys.

United Nations’ report adds that the areas, often in the news for deaths due to drought-like conditions, face lack of potable water and health facilities, and remoteness.

On the other hand the Sindh government states that compared to the year 2014-15 the situation in these areas are much better.

Officials claim that in desert regions of Umerkot and Tharparkar in the Kharif season no irrigation took place, while in the last six months the government has not distributed any food.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority and the Sindh government had appealed to the UN to send a mission to the region to assess the effects of prolonged drought in the region.

The UN mission carried out the Sind Drought and Assessment Survey, which pointed out marginalized communities and warned the government that if adequate health facilities are not provided to them the situation may take shape of a “human catastrophe”.