Daily Times

Sindh’s prosperity lies in an Indus that flows freely. The unavailability of water has turned the Indus Delta into a desert, as it’s hard to find a green piece of land in the entire region.This in contrast to a river Indus that was once famous for its green fields and agricultural lands.

There was a time when the magnetism of Sindh’s coastal belt was used by wordsmiths in their work. However, today the region is only mentioned to highlight desolation, drought, dearth of resources, and the migration of locals.

Sindh’s coastline stretches to 340 kilometres, and consists of Thatta, Sujawal, and Badin. More than 1.1 million people inhabit the three districts, where more than half of the population consists of anglers. The people in these areas are living in miserable conditions.

People of the area are now looking to migrate to nearby towns. This will be one of the worst migrations in history; however, the people do not have a choice any longer.

Sindh has been facing a considerable scarcity of water for a while now, and no one has ever tried to pay heed to the cries of the local people.

More than 50 percent of the people that live along the coastline rely on catching fish to survive. However, with the waterbodies dried up, their source of livelihood and their means of sustenance is lost to them

It is crystal clear that if water is not send down from Indus, via downstream Kotri, nothing will be left alive in the province’s coastal belt. All of this will happen in the not so distant future.

What used to be agricultural land has turned barren, livestock has died, freshwater bodies have evaporated, and several species of fish and mangrove are lost to us now. Water scarcity is to blame for the situation.

People in this region have lost hope and are leaving the villages that they have lived in for decades. Both the provincial and federal governments have failed the people. The issue of scarcity is not a new one — it has persisted for years without any real action from authorities. And now we are at a crisis point.

More than 50 percent of the people that live along the coastline rely on catching fish to survive. However, with the water bodies dried up, their source of livelihood and their means of sustenance is lost to them.

Education and health are also key issues in the area. But people who do not even have food to eat cannot think of such problems. Currently, the caretakers have taken over, which means further delay in any kind of respite. The likelihood of the caretaker government taking long-lasting initiatives to help people in this area is very small.

Nevertheless, Sindh has to put its case to the table. It is now or never; if the water starts flowing in the river Indus, then the situation may be salvaged. This menace has not only destroyed the ecosystem of the coastal belt, but also ruined millions of acres of land. Along with humans, the fauna and flora of this region have also suffered due to the water shortage. Things are heating up as the discussion around climate change gains momentum. The federal government has tried to save face by claiming that the water coming down to Kotri is wastewater. However, they have no way to explain their claim as there is nothing down in Kotri except barren land that stretches over a vast area. This goes to show the disconnect between the people and the leaders that are supposed to serve them.

The Sindh government has been continuously fighting the case of Sindh’s water with the Centre but everyone continues to turn a blind eye to this imperative issue. The National Assembly has taken note of the fact that the sea is cutting down on Sindh’s land, due to the unavailability of freshwater in downstream Kotri. And it is also on the record that no effort has been made to resolve this problem.

At the end of the day, we need move beyond political statements and towards actionable change. It is too late for Sindh, but maybe we can pick up the pieces. However, if things continue on the way they have in the past decade then soon there will be no pieces left.

The writer is a freelance columnist and can be reached at abbaskhaskheli110@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, June 14^th 2018.