Daily Times

KARACHI: Mama Vishan Thari, often called ‘Edhi of Thar’ and members of civil society of Sindh’s drought-hit desert Tharparkar have welcomed the move of boxer Amir Khan’s announcement to raise funds for the area.

Boxer Amir Khan would hold exhibition matches in Karachi on June 2nd for generating funds for clean water facilities in drought-hit Tharparkar district. The funds would be raised by World Champion Amir Khan’s foundation.

The provision of clean and safe drinking water is most important issue in Thar. With water table going down due to frequent droughts, majority of locals are dependent on groundwater resources that are not fit for human consumption.

While talking to Daily Times Mama Vishan Thari said, “On behalf of people of Tharparkar, I want to thank Amir for his contribution for the area.” Mama Vishan Thari is called ‘Edhi of
Thar’ for his services for the humanity and harmony in
the area.

Mama said, “People of Thar who are well known for the hospitality are anxiously waiting for his visit. Amir should visit our area and he would surely enjoy our hospitality during the visit.”

He said the move is expected to ease some issues for the water scarcity area, as water is the main issue for entire Thar Desert. Due to deficiency of water, the intensity of hardship has increased for the people of Thar, he added.

He said that Tharparkar, a desert region spanning 22,000 kilometres in southeastern Sindh adding that its 1.5 million residents frequently face water scarcity and drought, often leading to malnutrition and sometimes famine.

Renowned social worker working in the area for the provision of water, Dr Sono Khangharani said, “He is happy to hear that Amir has selected our area for his social work.”

Hisaar Foundation CEO Dr Sono said, “Water scarcity in the area is so high that more should be done for the provision of clean and safe drinking water.”

He said that rainfall is unpredictable in Thar Desert, most of it limited to the monsoon season from July to September adding that the rest of the year, an underground aquifer, accessed through wells, is the primary source of water.

Association for Water Applied and Renewable Energy (AWARE) CEO Ali Akbar Rahimoon also agreed with Mama.

Ali said, “It is nice to hear Amir is doing his efforts for the purpose of drinking water. His visit would highlight the issue worldwide.” He said water is matter of life and death for the people of Thar.

Senior journalist Khatau Jani said this sort of news is very encouraging for the people of Thar. Jani said that it sounds great that a celebrity is doing something for the people of Thar. The people of Thar are facing miseries due to water scarcity, Jani added.