Seawater intrusion into the Indus Delta has destroyed fertile land in Sindh and displaced thousands of families from fishing communities. With the river’s flow downstream reduced, seawater has seeped into villages, leaving farmland barren and forcing people to migrate to Karachi and other cities in search of work.
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According to Yasmeen Shah of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, nearly 3.5 million acres of land have been lost to the sea since erosion was first reported in 1950. She said that government policies have strengthened contract systems in the fisheries sector, hurting poor fishermen, while no social security has been provided for their welfare.
Disaster management expert Naseer Memon explained that before the Tarbela Dam, 300,000 cusecs of water used to reach Sindh’s kutcha areas annually. He stressed that at least 5,000 cusecs of water per day are needed downstream of Kotri Barrage to save the Indus Delta ecosystem. Continuous shortages, he warned, have already caused 500,000 hectares of fertile land to sink under seawater.
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Fatima Majeed, chairperson of the Fishermen Cooperative Society, said her priority would be to create employment and welfare projects for fishermen while boosting fish exports. However, officials from the Sindh Fisheries Department could not be reached for comment on measures to address the crisis.
