Tackling Thar

The findings of the commission set up to examine the causes for multiple infant deaths in Thar are hardly surprising. In a 300-page report submitted to the Sindh government, the commission – headed by a former advocate general of Sindh – has said that the underlying socio-economic inequity in Thar is a key factor behind conditions in the area. It is important to understand this link. While the lack of rainfall over the past three years and the consequent drought certainly contributed to the death of at least 400 children in the area, the fact also is that the general conditions of life in Tharparkar had a great deal to do with this. The commission has stated that early marriages, inadequate nutrition, multiple births and very poor health facilities are primary contributors to the catastrophe in Thar. It has also recommended that the region be declared calamity-hit immediately so that emergency action can be taken there. The failure to prevent deaths and human suffering has been attributed to very poor coordination between agencies and the indifference of governmental departments to the welfare of people.

While there has been much talk of the media playing up drought as a key factor in the deaths in Thar, common sense persuades us that the reality is more complex. As the report stressed, there is a dire need to change the pattern of life in Thar and pass the benefits of development down to people. For this, the body’s suggestion that royalties from coal mining should be shared with the people is timely and just. It has also been pointed out that nearly 300 posts for medical specialists are lying vacant in the region with even doctors who hold a Thar domicile unwilling to serve in the area. The fact that accommodation set aside for doctors has been taken over by government officials in many cases is one factor in this, as are inadequate salaries and perks. The result is that desperate people have nowhere to turn for medical care in a district that is served by only a mere 11 ambulances. Now that the commission has handed in its findings, it is up to the Sindh government to determine what to do next, set out a plan for Thar and immediately begin action which can prevent further death and disaster in the desert area.