Water availability can save Tharis

HYDERABAD: Khet Singh, a herder from Haryar village in Tharparkar District, narrates hardships he has to face due to acute water shortage. He said, long ago, there were 12 wells, which were enough for more than 500 households of the village. But with the changing weather pattern and shortage of rains now out of the 12 wells, majority of the traditional water facilities have turned brackish. Similarly, quality of water in some wells has deteriorated, and it is reported to have fluoride, forcing local people to consume poisonous water.
Khet Singh identified many in his community, both men and women, whose teeth are blackened due to the contaminated water. Fluoride also affects bones, which is why some people are crippled, with bones bent so badly out of shape that they complain of inability to wash, eat, or leave their houses without assistance. He links these kinds of problems to the changing water quality.
Khet Singh said, "It is not only humans who need water, we depend on livestock, which too require water. One big animal requires at least around 28-30 litres of water daily, while a small animal needs 10-12 litres.” According to him, it depends on the household, and how many animals they can afford to keep in this situation.
The second source of water is rainwater, and each village has ponds for drinking purposes in the area. Local people say now even animals are consuming less water due to the rapidly deteriorating taste of the basic necessity.
It was quite recently, when reports of death of more than 200 minor children in Tharparkar's Mithi and other hospitals shook the country. Their deaths were liked to malnutrition, acute water shortage, poverty, and hunger. The main need, the local people narrate, is water to avoid these kinds of tragedies.
Besides, Tharparkar district, this realisation about water is common in the entire desert zone like Achhro Thar in Sanghar and parts of Umerkot districts. In Tharparkar, reportedly almost all the hand pumps installed at different times have become useless because of increasing contamination of the underground water.
In this situation, local people have established wells in fertile lands or closer to water ponds. Many have to travel two-three kilometres once or twice daily to fetch water on donkeys and camels. Fulfilling the need of water, the community people say takes more time which they cannot afford, because they want to spare some time for arranging fodder and rearing animals.
Only women and teenage girls have taken the responsibility to travel with donkeys and camels to fetch water from distant wells.
The government had installed more than 250 reverse osmosis plants in several localities, claiming to have provided water to each person. But now after passing of a few months, the people say many of these RO facilities are ruined because of carelessness and lack of maintenance. The reason some villagers give is that "since we are jobless and facing droughts even in monsoon season, we cannot afford the cost to maintain this facility".
The monsoon rains gave hope in some areas, but after the seeds were sown, windstorms abruptly swept the plants in wide areas, leaving the farmers hopeless.
This loss is unbearable for many communities, who depend on rains for cultivation.
It was observed that in some villages, where RO plants are functional, there are long queues of women and men waiting for water. However, even after waiting for many hours, some people return empty handed. There is no management to distribute equal water to the people.
Community Perspective: Ali Akbar Rahimo, a local community activist, working for water and education in Thar Desert said the Sindh government had awarded the contract to a private company for installing RO plants to ensure water for the thirsty people of Thar. “Under the deal, the provincial government had to pay a cost per water gallon to the company. But there are complaints from the community, who plead these RO plants are mostly non-functional because of unavailability of diesel and other issues,” he said.
These complaints are against major RO plants, installed near Mithi city, which was expected to produce 250,000 gallon. The government however is yet to resolve the issue.
"I cannot say the technology is faulty. There might be mismanagement in providing diesel to run the facility and benefit the community. It must be checked who may be responsible, but it is up to the government and the company to remove the complaints," Rahimo said.
There are four institutions working for providing water to the people in Thar, including Public Health Engineering Department, Town Municipal Administrations (TMAs), Works and Services (operating to utilise funds of MNA and MPAs) and Thar Coal Authority.
"We want to say, remove the burden on Thar women, who are still carrying water pots on heads. In some areas these women have bought donkeys to take water. But whether travelling to RO plants or going to wells, these women have the same burden throughout the years," Rahimo said.
He pointed out that the project of RO installation was implemented on political basis, instead of need-basis. He suggested handing over these RO facilities to local people at the same cost, and hopefully they can run it. “The community may be able to make local people accountable. Local people cannot ask the invisible company and make them accountable for their failure, the activist added.
Traders stand: Umerkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) President Khalid Siraj Soomro said water is the main problem in the desert zones, and even Umerkot city depends on a canal for water supply, as it is at the tail end.
"Trader community in Umerkot and Tharparkar itself is paying the price of water scarcity, because the products are declining," he said.
According to him, provision of water to the desert people may stop mass migration to other areas and may help resolution the livelihood problem, ending poverty.
"Being a trader, I realise that we have guar and millet crop products, besides a variety of fruits grow in Thar area," he said, adding the chamber always proposed to the federal and provincial governments to extend support to growers and traders so they may have access to world markets.
For example, he said neighbouring India is the biggest market of guar, and we can export our produce easily from the Khokhrapar route. But instead, we see our products go to India and other world markets via Dubai and other routes, benefitting outsiders. “The people of Thar must be given access to the world markets for their products. This may help end poverty," Soomro said.
He said Umerkot and Mirpurkhas districts are the main producers of a variety of fruits, like mango, guava, banana, lemon and others. But this only benefits traders from outside due to the policy makers and government.
Despite witnessing the gloomy picture of drought, poverty, food, and water shortage, he was optimistic. Soomro said, "If the government pays heed towards our suggestions and makes only water availability a priority...the people are rich with fertile lands, livestock. Water availability can stop migration of communities to other areas."