A tale of dying trades along Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake

HYDERABAD: Once prosperous fishermen community of Gharkano village, popularly known as moving families in Manchar Lake, are now facing acute poverty and joblessness as the people are losing sources of their livelihoods, staying out of water.

The settlement comprising around 200 families has a unique background of moving one island to another throughout a year, except only when there is flood season.

During floods that inundate islands they always move to embankment along with their small belongings for safety and stay there for some time.

They have a tradition of moving to other destination with loading fish catch on small vessels after every two to three months stay at one island.

Due to frequently shifting from one place to another the folks are called Gharkana. Gharkano means slippery in Sindhi language.

They live in makeshift abodes at islands. Some families have livestock at the lush green islands with a variety of fodder grasses.

Through generations these people reside along the lake under makeshift abodes with different lifestyle compared to other fishermen.

Siddique Mallah, a community elder in Gharkano village said Manchhar was a rich source of fish varieties and so they lived pleasant life through generations.

“We never imagined this kind of difficulties of living without job and staying out of water,” Mallah said, harking back to heydays of the past. “We are water community; live and derive livelihoods from water.”

Gharkano is among a dozen of villages located at the islands of the lake and those settled in residential boats.

Manchar Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Pakistan, has two main sources of water. It is mainly fed by annual rainfalls through natural rainwater ways and floods in the river Indus. Frequently, flowing water always makes the zone fertile for the community, who depend on the lake for livelihoods. There was a plenty of fish species in the past and lush green vegetation that attracted bird species: local and migratory.

Siddique, father of three sons, said around 50 small boats, his community owns, are anchored along the bank. “Our entire community workforce have left this lake and joined marine fishing vessels in Karachi coastal areas and parts of Balochistan,” he added. They frequently return back to home and contribute what they earn to their families for survival.

In the past, Siddique said whenever floods come to inundate islands Gharkana families would shift their vessels to the embankment and stay together in the makeshift abodes for some time. “And, as flood water receded we moved to our familiar islands to resume normal life.”

Gharkano village was first relocated to the embankment in 1996 after the launch of Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) scheme in 1992/93, which submerged a number of islands.

Presently, a long row of makeshift abodes can be seen along the embankment. The community people have computerised national identity cards. They are registered voters and take part in the elections. But, they have been discarded from the mainstream economy as they have lost their source of living.

There is no primary school in Gharkano village for children and no health facility for curing ailing mothers and children. Biting cold and scorching heat always bring miseries to them.

The RBOD scheme flowed saline water into the lake through Main Nara Valley drain. The project was designed on assumption that the frequent rainwater and floods may clean the salinity and pollution.

But after 1996/97, the fishermen actually started realising the loss of livelihood. They call it a beginning of poverty and unemployment among the fishermen community, who have enjoyed prosperous life at the largest lake. They are natural custodians of the lake but due to political maneuvering they have been forced to live isolated life.

Pyaro Mallah, a community activist said increasing pollution in the lake water caused decline in fish species as well as depleted natural vegetation.

“Aquatic plants in the lake were useful for the local communities, breeding grounds of fish species and birds,” Mallah said, pointing his fingers to show the scattered islands.

“The vegetation used to provide shelter to the migratory and local birds. So, the place was also a birds’ sanctuary,” he added.

In addition to fishing, hundreds of the community’s artisan women have been dependent on this kind of vegetation for manufacturing mats, weaving baskets and variety of products for market to contribute to their family income.

Even after passage of 20 year-long time the village families have been settled along the embankment with the same name Gharkano village. They could not change their lifestyle and mostly reside in makeshift abodes.

Manchar Lake received supper floods in 2010 and then in 2011 and created hope for the community by increasing fish catch. But after that the catch has alarmingly declined, leaving this workforce in hapless situation.

Mustafa Meerani, a community leader said the lake has been a source of livelihoods for fishermen, farmers and livestock holders.

“The changes in livelihood took place after turning of this sweet water body into a reservoir with building of huge embankments in 1973-74 to use water for agriculture,” Meerani said.

The community leader said some residential boats still stay on water, keeping the tradition alive.

Women folks were involved in manufacturing of fishing nets and supplying valuable products to the community people. Earlier, there was no concept of commercial fishing and use of harmful nets. But, growing commercialisation in inland water sources deprived a large number of women of their traditional source of livelihoods.

Community elders criticise the government policies of launching mega schemes without taking communities on board. These schemes always cause destruction and poisoning bowls of their livelihoods.

These isolated families are still waiting to see the normal water life and resume their traditional livelihood. But it seems there is nobody to pay heed to their cry and resolve their issues to rehabilitate their source of living, open schools for their children and provide basic facilities.