Manchar matters

Manchar Lake in Dadu district is currently overflowing as flood water continues to pour in from the Indus. Over 100,000 have been displaced from the area. But the fresh water has also brought hope among the 20,000 or so fishermen who depend on Manchar for their livelihood. Many others have over recent years drifted away from the lake, as aquatic life in it has begun to die due to the pumping of factory effluents from drains bringing in waste from areas north of Dadu, including the Punjab. There is some optimism that the situation could be eased by the flow into the lake of water that could help rejuvenate its eco-system. This effect is likely to end in the near future but could provide a reprieve to local fishermen who struggle to earn a living in its waters.

What is needed is a more determined effort to save Manchar and the culture built around it. Both are currently dying together, as the ‘mohanas’, or traditional fishermen, move away and contamination levels in the lake rise. Saving Manchar is important for the sake of those who live off it and because the picturesque lake has the potential to attract tourists. The number of visitors coming in from Karachi and other towns has dwindled amidst growing pollution. It is sad that we should deliberately poison our reserves of freshwater — with so little thought as to the consequences of this. The drains that bring millions of gallons of poisonous water to Manchar each year have been objected to time and again by environmentalists and fishermen. It is time someone heard these voices. We need to think far more seriously about the environmental issues that confront us, all the more so when they have a potential impact on the lives of communities. The floods have raised some possibility that Manchar could get a new lease of life.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2010.