MITHI: Famine looms large in Tharparkar
The Dawn, By Our Correspondent, 4/10/2002

MITHI, Oct 3: The district of Tharparkar, except for few dehs, is facing famine-like situation as there has been no or insufficient rainfall this year. This has created acute shortage of water, food and fodder in four talukas of the district and compelled a large number of people to migrate to irrigated districts with their cattle heads.

According to a recently conducted survey by a Thar-based NGO, Tharparkar Rural Development Programme, Thari peasants are under heavy debts due to drought in the area from 1997 to 2000.

The peasants cultivated their lands this year after obtaining loans of Rs20,000 to Rs25,000 each. But many parts of the sandy belt did not receive the expected second spell of rain till the first week of September and the sown crops and grass could not attain maturity.

Spreading over about 19,638 sq-km, Tharparkar district is larger in area than other districts of the province, consisting of 157 desert dehs and nine barrage dehs, with 914,000 people and 3,656,933 livestock, according to the census of 1998.

Livestock and rainy agriculture lands are the main sources of earning for locals, about 70 per cent of whom are working as haris of the landlords of other areas, usually after obtaining loan, ranging from Rs5,000 to Rs35,000.

It will be relevant to mention here that as the absence of rains damages crops, the landlords do not help haris. Also, no money lender or trader is ready to lend money or other things on credit which compel the peasants to sell their cattle heads at throw-away prices.

A survey conducted in this regard shows the sale of animals increased by 65 per cent and their prices decreased by about 50 per cent in August and September.

Thar is hit by drought after every two or three years, which increases malnutrition, poverty, disease and mortality of people and livestock.

However, planners have not formulated a sustainable drought-combating strategy, except for adopting temporary, inadequate and limited relief measures.

The DCO and the district Nazim are learnt to have officially written to the government urging it to take notice of the emerging worst drought which has caused 40 per cent migration of locals to adjoining districts.

None of the candidates contesting for national and provincial assemblies seats, who are spending a lot of money on their electioneering, has established any relief camp on the routes of the migrating Tharis, who face numerous problems on their way to other districts.

As the existing drought conditions are most likely to turn into a famine in next few months, the intelligentsia has suggested to set up temporary relief camps.

http://www.dawn.com/2002/10/04/local25.htm