Water Crisis Intensifies Along Sindh Coastline
The coastal regions of District Sujawal and Thatta have faced severe water shortages over the last several months, with little indication of improvement on the horizon. “Water is essential for life, yet we’ve been denied this basic human right,” remarks Sattar Machi, a local from Union Council Karmalak within Taluka Jati, underscoring the crisis impacting these shores.
As per data shared by officials from the district irrigation department in Sujawal, the primary water sources feeding the coast—including Jati, Ladiyo, Chuhar Jamali, and Shahbunder—are experiencing severe shortages because of depleted water levels further down at Kotri. Given that Sindh faces a total shortfall of 47%, these coastal regions of the province may soon be grappling with drought conditions.
Allah Bux Temro, a local farmer, stated that standing crops like cotton and tomatoes were wilting. The circumstances in these regions have become critical, with both men and women having to cover extensive distances to collect water for drinking and everyday needs.
A local inhabitant named Ali Akbar Thaheem revealed that the groundwater along the coast had become saline, forcing residents to use water likely to cause various health problems.
In these regions, women obtain water from nearby vendors who transport it using donkeys and mules to the town centers within the district. Rasool Bux Bario, one such vendor, mentioned that he charges 150 rupees for a can of water; however, individuals in distant locations often struggle to make payments promptly because of their financial hardships and limited job prospects.
The ongoing scarcity of water has not only deteriorated the quality of life for locals but also endangered the ecological characteristics of the area. Once teeming with life, the riverbed of the Indus is now buried under layers of sand. Consequently, the Indus delta faces severe degradation due to insufficient water flow below the Kotri Barrage.
According to water specialist Naseer Memon, extracting additional water from the Indus River could exacerbate the challenges faced by the coastal area of Sindh. He also stated that the current water shortage has reached levels unseen over the past 25 years in the downstream regions of Sindh, specifically affecting Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, and Tando Muhammad Khan.
Supporting his argument, agricultural scientist and ex-Chief Engineer of the Irrigation Department in Sindh, Obhayo Khan Khushik, called upon the national administration to assess conditions in the downstream regions of Sindh prior to building new channels along the Indus River. He cautioned that insufficient water supply could exacerbate seawater intrusion into these lands, potentially leading to the demise of the Indus Delta.
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