1.38m hit hard by prolonged drought in Sindh
The News, By GN Mughul
11/27/2002

HYDERABAD: About 1.38 million people, belonging to 2,863 villages and 256 Dehs of five districts of Sindh have been badly affected by the prolonged drought, according to a survey report compiled by the various agencies of the Sindh government during the current month.

The survey shows as many as 194,798 families and 5.60 million livestock of Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Dadu and Thatta district also been affected. However, independent agencies, including the NGOs operating in these areas are of the view that the number of the affected people and the livestock is much higher than the official estimates.

According to them, at present, particularly in the Thar desert, a number of animals are found dead in some areas due to lack of water and fodder.

The Thar Desert and Kohistan areas have been hit hard due to the prolonged drought. The Thar region is the largest desert area of Sindh with conditions similar to the sub-Saharan desert. It extends from the coastal area of the Runn of Katch along the southern border with India to Sukkur, covering an area of 20,000 square kilometres. Kohistan starts from the north of Karachi and moves along with Balochistan border up to Larkana. The total area of this region is 13,000 square kilometres.

The survey report says due to the prolonged drought more than one million population has been directly affected and around 0.3 million people are reported to have moved towards the irrigated areas of the province and at least 300 settlements are currently affected. It has been noted in the report that the entire area is a large pocket of poverty with 95 per cent of the population living below the poverty line.

The NGOS and other independent sources contend that the situation in Thar and Kohistan and their adjoining areas is even worse. They say in the past if there was no rain in parts of Thar, some other areas of the desert used to receive some showers. As a result, the people of Thar used to pull on while shifting from one area of the desert to the other one. But this time around the situation in the whole of Thar has been more or less the same with no rain in the entire stretch. This has aggravated the effects of drought for the people of Thar and Kohistan, they say.

They pointed out that in the past the people of Thar, after being hit by drought-like conditions, used to shift to irrigated areas of the province along with their cattle to earn somelivelihood and also for providing fodder for their cattle. But this time, firstly, the intensity of crops even in Barrage areas is far less as against the past due to the fact that Sindh had been facing unprecedented water shortage since the last two years.

Secondly, due to the fact that the sugar mills have still not started cane crushing, therefore, the activity in the cane-growing areas also could not start with the consequence that these wandering Tharis and Kohistanis could not get any employment in Barrage areas also.

As a result, these people have started selling their cattle at very cheap rate to feed themselves as well as their children. The only asset with the people of Thar and Kohistan has all along been the cattle. With the sale of cattle now they are left with no asset for future.

The NGOs have expressed dissatisfaction over the relief package of the government for these people. In order to face the current year's drought, the Central Zakat Council has allocated an amount of Rs 190 million for purchase and distribution of wheat free of cost to the Muslim Mustahqeen, residing in the drought-affected areas. Under this programme, wheat is being distributed at the scale of 50 kg per month per family for two months. The distribution is being made at one time ie one bag of 100 kg.

According to reports, 132,314 affected families of Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar are being provided wheat on this scale. Besides, the Sindh government has also sanctioned initially an amount of Rs 20 million for distribution of wheat free of cost to the non-Muslim population. Under this programme, 72,880 non-Muslim families are also being supplied wheat on the same pattern.

The drought-like situation prevailed in the affected areas in 1923, 1935, 1943, 1956, 1973, 1985 to 1987, 1995 to 1999, 1999 to 2000 and now again has hit these areas during the current year.

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