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By:
Anwar Pirzado Ecology of
the deltaic region of Indus basically depends on brackish water created with
a mix of fresh and sweet water of river with oceanic brine . The stoppage of
Indus rivers water to flow Sindh by Punjab has created ecological disaster
in Indus delta where habitat of mangroves, fishes and other species sea life
is being vanished away, the human populace is migrating from the area and
,the very survival of this greatest Himalayan river is at stake.
The Punjab started developing its agriculture as far back in 1830 A.D. Prior
to it, the flow of Indus river water downstream Kotri barrage to sea was 150
MAF. By then Indus delta had grown as garden area of Sindh, while its
territory continued enhancing with every passing year at least by 20,000
hectors.
Today, such a quantum of water(150 MAF) is not available even in the whole
Indus river system . It is either 114 or 104 MAF. And it has become the bone
of contention between Sindh and Punjab during ongoing inter provincial water
dispute.
According to an official figure of Sindh government, the flow of river water
downstream Kotri barrage in the year 2000 AD was 0.725 MAF. It was despite
the fact that the 1991 Water Accord stood for 10 MAF of water to flow into
the sea while as an analysis of the IUCN, at least 27 MAF of water was
needed to sustain the ecology of Indus delta.
Even then there is hue and cry over the so-called wastage of water flowing
downstream Kotri barrage as wastage to the sea. Those who consider water
flowing downstream Kotri barrage as wastage over look the Indus delta, the
tail end of the river. Its the requirement of the international law on the
water streams that if any water stream does not reach its tail end, it would
be considered as dead.
Previously the mangrove forest of the Indus delta, the fifth biggest of
world, was spread in 600,000 hectares. Today it is hardly 75,000 hectares in
area. So the mangroves are depleting with a faster speed. The Palo (Clupea
llisha) fish sustaining the lively hood of the fisher folk of the Indus has
become extinct. The major crop of red rice in the Indus delta has become the
chapter of the past and fish production at the Sindh coast and declined by
more than 70%.
Mean while, the human habitat is being vanished away in the tail end of
Indus and populace of delta is migrating to Thatta and Karachi after the
sources of their livelihood are being destroyed once and for all as the
garden areas are being converted into marshes in the Indus delta .
On contrary, the civilized world is going back to free flowing rivers
through decommissioning process while Punjab and WAPDA the main protagonists
of dams on the rivers in Pakistan. In the enlightened world most of dams
were dismantled because they were proving Frankenstein. In most cases , the
dams are brought down to save endangered species, while in Pakistan the dams
are proving ominous for the rivers them selves. The scientist are planning
around the world that the dams should not be permanent structures on the
land escape. The U S A government has been convinced to remove all of its
dams from its rivers to keep them healthy.
The people of Karachi must know that they inhabit the deltaic region of
Sindh created through process of sedimentation by the river Indus . So, if
deposition of silt through flow of river subsided drastically, the reverse
process could endanger Karachi.
It is pertinent to mention here that about 50,000 years ago, the Indus delta
started from Kalabagh located in today's Mianwali district of Punjab. It was
due to the centuries old flow of the silt rich water of Indus that the sea
went on receding to the point where it at Karachi to day.
In 1980, the fish catch of Palo from the Indus delta was, 1,850 metric tons
which was reduced to mere 265 metric tons in 1995. The main cause was a
drastic decrease in flow of river water into the sea . The national drainage
program ( NDP) of the federal government was intended to destroy, the Indus
delta. It has been decided by now to drain out all RBOD waste into Indus
delta through Gharo creek.
IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT:
* As a result of oceanic encroachments, the Sookhi? town of Kharo Chhan had
just disappeared from the scene.
* The road from Keti Bundar to Karachi via Juho and Humbbas is now under sea
water.
* Many small islands have disappeared under encroaching tides of the
seawater. The camel breeders are quarrelling with each other where to breed
the camels.
* Most of the villages in the delta have earthen embankments around for the
fear approaching sea.
* The port Qasim authorities installed a small light house on the bank of
the Phitti creek. Today, it is standing in the middle of the sea water.
Then, they erected an other light house on a spacious ground on the bank of
the creek, but that too was run over by the advancing tide of the sea, so it
is the third light house, which serves the purpose.
* The wall constructed to block the flow of sea water approaching Gizri, has
been shattered by gushing tides of the sea.
* The sea water first time has touched the last bridge on Indus at Sujawal.
The silt-rich sweet water has given away to the black and bitter sweet water
in the main channel of the Sindhu darya.
* According to the villagers, in early seventies the Union council Gharho
was located 15 Km far from the sea. Today it is hardly 5 Km away from the
high sea.
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