Sindh has been gradually turning into a wasteland because of erosion of the sea. Nawab Shah and Sakrand, fertile tehsils of Sindh, have been drowning in saline water as a result of unchecked water logging and salinity for the last five years.
This was stated by a noted social worker from Nawab Shah Lala Arshad Khaskheli while speaking on "Growing poverty in Sindh: A case study of Nawab Shah and Sakrand tehsils" at the weekly lecture programme of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) running at the central secretariat. Ghulam Qadir Chandio, MPA from Nawab Shah presided over the lecture programme.
During the lecture Khaskheli also screened a video which showed entire localities going under stagnant water in the two tehsils and people complaining that their farmlands were under water, there was water inside their huts and they had nowhere to go.
Khankheli pointed out that besides the widespread water logging from the Rohri Canal, the major factor contributing to the disaster were illegal channels and modules dug out by the influential persons of the government party in the area. These channels continued to run day and night and flooded adjoining areas after irrigating their banana plantations.
On the occasion he said that banana plantations needed to be irrigated every 4th or 5th day. Thus the illegal modules continued to flow all the time. Being no proper drainage system and the underground water table, which is already very high due to water logging, caused by the Rohri Canal the whole area was gradually turning into a huge saline pond.
He also pointed out that the Scarp tube well scheme, which was started by Shaheed Zulikar Ali Bhutto, had effectively checked the damage caused by the rising underground water. The whole area had become the most fertile area of Sindh, famous for its high per acre yields of various crops and its healthy livestock.
Unfortunately the Wapda had abandoned the Scarp scheme and corruption, coercion and mismanagement of the irrigation system were playing havoc with the poor farmers of the area. Unbearable poverty, loss of education for children, spread of water borne diseases, high increase in crime rate and complete absence of law and order were owing to this calamity.
The Study carried out by Khaskheli's NGO Shah Sachal Sami Welfare Association covered 52 villages of the 2 tehsils. In just 3 union councils of the area the number of affected had gone up to more than 65,000 people.
More than 65 per cent of the once very fertile land was under water and the entire population of as many as 14 villages had to vacate the villages where they had been living for centuries. Even the per acre yield of the farms not under water yet had gone down drastically.
The per acre yield of wheat crop had gone down to 20 to 25 muands per acre from 55 muands per acre, cotton 12 muands per acre from 25 mauand per acre and sugarcane down to a meager 200 maunds per acre from an yield of 700 to 1000 maunds per acre.
It was on account of these previous high agricultural yields that the area boasted of three sugar mills and 21 cotton ginning factories, most of which are now dormant.
Khaskheli said that during the PPP government a plan of putting up five factories creating employment opportunities for 70, 000 workers had been prepared by Asif Ali Zardari, who was the MNA from the area. One industry employing 25, 000 workers had even started working and after the dismissal of the People's government all these plans were shelved, he deplored.
Khaskheli said that people of the area have been bringing out protest rallies and have been sitting in hunger strikes but the authorities have remained unmoved. He said that if corrective measures were not taken immediately the menace will grow in size as more land and villages will come under water with time.
He demanded that the illegal watercourses and modules should be closed forthwith. There should be a check on banana plantations. If Wapda could not restart the Scarp tube wells then these should be handed over to the farmers who will run, maintain and pay the costs of the system.
Explaining his point through an area map he demanded that small drains leading to a large new drain from where water should be pumped into the Rohri Canal should be built.
The source of water logging and salinity should be controlled and canals should be lined without further delay. Most important was to check rampant corruption of the irrigation department, which allowed illegal modules and channels after charging money. Ghulam Qadir Chandio in his presidential remarks complained of government's severe discrimination bordering on vengeance against the people of Nawab Shah, who had always voted for the PPP.
He said that the District government headed by PPP had been completely strangulated as no funds were issued to them. Giving an example he said that last year even more than Rs7 million of Zakat fund were withheld from the district government and were allowed to lapse.
He pointed out that this year although 10 months of the year had already passed only 20 percent of the ADP funds had been released. In other districts more than 80 percent of the development funds had already been spent.
He had himself submitted PC 1 for the proposed drainage channels on two occasions from the development funds put at his disposal but no action had been taken in spite of repeated reminders from him and protests from general masses.
He said that the dictatorship had distributed Sindh into several Jagirs of members of ruling party and given them authority to do whatever they liked in return of their political support to the dictator. This pattern of governance with zero accountability could only multiply the miseries of the people. Chandio said that the party and its leadership were boldly leading the democratic struggle, which was the only way out for the nation to overcome its problems and to move forward.