Manchar Lake flooding
Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake is full to bursting point and if it overflows it could flood surrounding areas.
Manchar Lake and locals living near it are the latest casualties of the floods that have affected over a fifth of the entire country. Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake is full to bursting point and if it overflows, lake water could flood surrounding areas, including the towns of Bhon and Jhingira and Sehwan airport and the Parco refinery. The danger the lake poses is a serious one to the thousands of people who live in its vicinity. Perhaps the only silver lining in this is that the outcome of the flooding may mean that the lake, which is otherwise highly polluted, will actually become the freshwater lake it is classified as.
A state of emergency has been declared in the region and approximately 40,000 people have already been evacuated from danger zones. However, any response to this looming disaster that aims to do more than shift people to safer places could well be counter-productive in the long term, as experts have said that the natural inflow of water will ultimately benefit the lake’s ecosystem and should not be interfered with.
These are valid concerns, since the growing threat of a malaria epidemic has just recently been raised by local and international officials. Stagnant lake water, which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, is expected to increase the chances of the outbreak of the deadly disease. If the lake does overflow and ravage low lying areas, some 250,000 are expected to be affected, which means they would also be susceptible to diseases which are rampant in relief camps. Finding a solution to the crisis is therefore complex and fraught with difficulty. In this situation, perhaps authorities should seek the support of those locals who know the lake and the area best. They should have a say in deciding how this threat to their present and future should be dealt with.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2010.
A state of emergency has been declared in the region and approximately 40,000 people have already been evacuated from danger zones. However, any response to this looming disaster that aims to do more than shift people to safer places could well be counter-productive in the long term, as experts have said that the natural inflow of water will ultimately benefit the lake’s ecosystem and should not be interfered with.
These are valid concerns, since the growing threat of a malaria epidemic has just recently been raised by local and international officials. Stagnant lake water, which is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, is expected to increase the chances of the outbreak of the deadly disease. If the lake does overflow and ravage low lying areas, some 250,000 are expected to be affected, which means they would also be susceptible to diseases which are rampant in relief camps. Finding a solution to the crisis is therefore complex and fraught with difficulty. In this situation, perhaps authorities should seek the support of those locals who know the lake and the area best. They should have a say in deciding how this threat to their present and future should be dealt with.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 16th, 2010.