KARACHI:
Many countries have realised the importance of rivers and are working to protect them from all possible threats. In 2017, New Zealand granted personal rights to the Whanganui River. Under a legislation passed by the parliament it was recognised as a separate living entity. Simultaneously, other countries are also acting to save their rivers from destruction.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has failed to take satisfactory steps for environmental preservation. As a result, the Indus River and the Indus Delta are under grave threat. If these threats are not addressed at the earliest, they could cause inexorable damage to the river and coastal settlements.
The Indus Delta, spread over 250 kilometres, is the area where the fresh river water meets the seawater. In the 50s and 60s, the Indus Delta was green and fertile but now the cessation of the river’s flow has destroyed a large area of agricultural land. Today, its biggest threat is sea intrusion, a problem that has spread fear among the inhabitants of Sindh’s coastal belt. If the required amount of water is not released downstream, the sea will invade areas as far up as the Kotri barrage and Hyderabad. The sea has already eaten up 2.6 million acres of the Indus Delta in Shah Bunder. If erosion continues, Shah Bunder will disappear by 2035, and the sea will reach Thatta by 2050. Furthermore, the vanishing of mangroves is also a matter of serious concern. The salt-absorbing plant grows in the estuaries along the coastline. It possesses a diverse community of organisms that include bacteria, fungi, fish and shrimp. Besides, it is a source of livelihood for the fishing community as well.
During the past two weeks, multiple events have been organised in different parts of Sindh in order to highlight the plight of the Indus River and delta. Environmentalists, social activists, and irrigation experts demanded personhood rights in light of international laws to save the Indus Delta and the biggest river of the country from outright disaster. We too should play an active part in protecting our rivers.
Kamran Khamiso Khowaja
Sujawal
Published in The Express Tribune, March 16th, 2021.
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