Conference highlights government’s apathy towards Thar

HYDERABAD: For non-profit organisations engaged in development and drought mitigation in Thar the last four years of calamity have failed to elicit a critical response from the government.

The Thar Conference, 2016, organised in Hyderabad on Thursday, discussed a range of such issues, highlighting solutions and actions required from the government. The event was organised by Maroora Coordination Council. The first ever event was held in 2013 in Tharparkar.

The speakers pointed out how the official disaster response has failed to match the desired steps. Many also complained that the April, 2016, report of former Sindh advocate-general Abdul Fateh Malik-led Thar Commission, which laid bare the drought management and governance issues, has not been made public. Dysfunctional district disaster management authority and lack of access to health, education and water facilities have worsened the effects of drought, remarked Ali Akbar Rahimon of Maroora Coordination Council.

Malnourishment

Prof Dr Beekha Ram Devrajani of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences acknowledged that malnourished mothers and underweight children are a major cause of deaths of newborns.

“A woman once told me that she has nine children but her husband is unable to find even menial labour jobs on regular basis,” said Fakhira Bajeer of the Actionaid. “When I asked her why then she has given birth to so many children, her reply shocked me. She said drought situation kills their children. Therefore, they plan to have a bigger family so that even if a few of them die there would be others with their parents.”

RO plants

Khatau Jani, a senior journalist of Thar, blamed the Sindh government for worsening the impact of drought. He said over Rs7.5 billion have been squandered on reverse osmosis (RO) plants.

“The Rs2 billion RO plant in Mithi was bragged to be the biggest in Asia with 2 million gallons per day capacity,” he said. “But it turned out that the plant can’t even supply 500,000 gallons twice a month.”

Towards development

The conference’s recommendations called for implementation on reports of different commissions and committees regarding problems in governance, establishing Thar Development Authority (TDA) and developing technical skills of youth.

Opposing TDA

Senator Taj Haider, Sindh government’s focal person for Thar relief, opposed the establishment of TDA, citing concerns of corruption and waste of government resources. Shabnam Baloch of Mehran University of Engineering and Technology also opposed the idea of TDA. She suggested that instead an arid zone development authority encompassing desert regions of Umerkot, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar should be formed.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25^th, 2016.