Water shortage in Sindh

The Food and Agriculture Organisation has presented an alarming report about the shortage of water in several districts of Sindh. According to the report, which has been shared with both the national and provincial disaster management agencies, over 1.1 million individuals in Sindh are below emergency threshold levels when it comes to the access of clean water. The report also lays out the problems created by this limited access to water, which include deaths of livestock, food insecurity, malnutrition and disease caused by poor sanitation. Those reliant on labour jobs in the agriculture and livestock sector have been hit particularly badly since their employment opportunities have dried up. Drought-prone areas which have suffered during the 2013-15 drought season are witnessing high child mortality rates and poor nutrition. In parts of Sindh, cultivation has stopped altogether due to unavailability of water.

The report goes on to lay out a detailed proposal, which if adopted could alleviate the suffering of those whose lives and livelihoods have been adversely impacted. If the Sindh government intends to take these findings seriously, it must adopt both an immediate and long term relief programme to reduce the damage to people’s lives. The report has proposed that the government look into the construction of additional storage for water to avoid a repeat of this situation down the line. As weather patterns continue to become more erratic, it is likely that droughts will become a fact of life not only for the already affected districts of Sindh but for several other parts of the country as well. As an agrarian society that is highly reliant on crop yields, both federal and provincial governments must look into the development of water-related policies. Several other countries have already started working on this and such foresightedness is required in Pakistan to avoid a large-scale disaster. Meanwhile, the drought-affected people in Sindh require immediate attention and relief.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 29^th, 2016.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.