The people of Kohistan starve, so do its animals

Fields have dried up, livestock has nothing to eat, and hungry mothers are unable to feed the children.

THANO BULA KHAN:

The hills of Sindh bear the brunt of nature’s wrath and with no help from governmental and non-governmental organisations, hunger prevails as man and animal suffer together.

Between the province’s largest cities, Karachi and Hyderabad, lie the hills of Kohistan. The area is in Jamshoro’s Thano Bula Khan taluka, and it is facing an alarming shortage of food.

Hunger prevails

“Even animals cannot survive here,” said 56-year-old Zeenat. “Look at my boys. Look at my cow. They all need food. We are also humans and we also deserve to live.”



Zeenat, along with her daughter-in-law and children, visits the nearby fields of Pasoo Aklani - parched as they are - and between them they collect around five kilogrammes of wheat. “We use the wheat we gather from one trip for three or four days, and then make the next trip before the stock runs out.”

The animals have no food to eat, and hence no longer produce milk. The fields have dried up, the fodder is almost gone, and Zeenat’s youngest son Naseer says that it will soon be impossible to feed their last cow.



The cow will clearly not survive long either; it is too thin to even stand on its own and it takes Naseer and his cousins to lift it up on its feet. “His sister died two days ago in the fields,” said Naseer.

Zeenat and her children cannot afford to eat meat, fish or even fruit. “Such foods are only for those who have money in their pockets,” she said with a wry smile. “Doctors instruct us to eat fresh fruit and drink milk but we can barely manage to feed ourselves enough to stave off starvation.”

Despite the lack of food, the people still manage to eat twice a day; the first meal at 9am, and the second soon after sunset. “We can only afford wheat or rice,” said Alo. “It may not be much but we still consider it a blessing and are happy with what we have.”

However, even wheat and rice are becoming increasingly hard to come by. The people of Kohistan look towards nature for help, rather than to the government. “Humans and animals alike are waiting for rain, it is the only thing that can help us,” said Naseer.

Constant hunger has made those who have been here long enough irritable and frustrated. “We can’t save our children from starving,” said Zeenat. “They die in front of us and we are helpless to save them. The hunger has ruined us.”



Mothers are aware of the lack of food, and sometimes have to prioritise. “Minors are the first priority,” said Zeenat. “Then the young children. If there is still food left, it is only then that the mothers eat.”

Refusing to migrate, hoping for rain

There are few sources of income up here. The people have to rely on livestock and agriculture to survive, but the rains have stopped, the animals are dying and land has dried up. Alo predicts that worse times are ahead if it does not rain soon.

“We were healthier 30 years ago,” said Kohistan resident Mamoon. “Now, our boys and girls are malnourished and are losing their natural beauty; all because of the lack of food.”

The conditions here are harsh and better prospects are available in the nearby cities of Hyderabad and Karachi but the people of Kohistan do not want to migrate. “Where would we go and to what end?” asked an elderly man known as Chacha Alo. “We are happy here. We won’t be able to survive in the cities.”

Nature is a harsh mistress and the government’s mismanagement has not helped, but the region has also been ignored by non-governmental organisations, so often the saviour of such communities. If something is not done soon, Kohistan’s people may be lost in the pages of history.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2014.