Toxic industrial waste threatens wetlands

Toxic waste from sugar mills and other factories is being discharged into Badin's coastal Nereri Lake and other water bodies designated as Ramsar sites under international agreements, causing severe environmental pollution and endangering aquatic life and the livelihoods of local fishermen.

Fishermen, under the banner of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, on Wednesday staged a protest demanding protection of these ecological sites and safeguarding of their livelihoods.

At a forum meeting, fishing community leaders including Haji Nabi Bux Mallah, Abdul Rahim Chanda, Muhammad Umar Mallah, Muhammad Qasim Bacho, Mithan Mallah, and Abdul Razzaq Mallah expressed grave concern. They said Ansari Sugar Mills, Dewan Sugar Mills, Abadgar Sugar Mills and other factories, along with effluents from the LBOD drain, are continuously releasing toxic water into Nereri Lake, Sada Bahar Lake, and coastal areas.

The fishermen warned that rising pollution has drastically reduced fish and shrimp production, threatening the survival of thousands of families dependent on fishing.

They also highlighted that the blockage of freshwater inflows has allowed the sea, once 200 kilometers away, to encroach inland, destroying fertile agricultural land and damaging human settlements and the local economy in Badin and Golarchi.

Leaders criticized the government for failing to fulfill promises of building protective embankments along the coast. They urged the President, Prime Minister, Sindh Chief Minister, Commissioner Hyderabad, Deputy Commissioner Badin, and elected representatives to take immediate action: install treatment plants at sugar mills and industrial units, stop the discharge of toxic water into drains, construct protective embankments, and prevent further sea intrusion to save coastal communities, fishermen's livelihoods, and the fragile ecosystem.