Drought in Tharparkar

Outside the fertile lands watered by the Indus river system, much of Pakistan is arid desert or semi-desert, and home to populations that are scattered, often nomadic and invariably poor in every aspect of their lives. Sindh and Balochistan in particular have arid-area populations that are at risk of drought, food insecurity and almost invariably, poor general health. These are people that live on the very margins of the possible in terms of human habitation and sustainability. The people of Tharparkar are currently suffering a drought that shows no sign of abating despite the onset of cooler weather. Children under five years of age are especially vulnerable, as are women in the late stages of pregnancy, who already have other children and are weak and malnourished themselves. There have been 275 deaths of children due to drought-related illnesses in the last 11 months, according to an official list prepared by the district administration. These figures only relate to those deaths that have occurred at or near the hospital at Mithi and are almost certainly an under-reporting.



There is an almost complete lack of transparency surrounding this very quiet emergency. The government is silent on why there has been no reduction in the rates of mortality among children of the area, and the seven-member team appointed to inspect the district hospitals has refused to share its findings, thus begging the question as to why it was constituted in the first place. Doctors are themselves dismissive, saying that patients only refer themselves in the latter stages of illness when they are beyond curative care. The federal government is to conduct a survey of the needs of the Tharparkar communities with a view to policy development as to how best to support them in future. Indeterminate promises of remedial action in an undefined future do nothing to alleviate the ills of today or tomorrow. The provision of essentials, such as emergency rations and water, is logistically feasible and there are supplies in-country, so this does not need an international effort. Pakistan needs to develop a federal policy for all arid-area populations, not only those in Tharparkar.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2014.

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