Transcript Lake Manchhar: a victim of RBOD

Lake Manchhar:
a classic example of how water
projects affect sustainable
livelihoods
Ali Abbas Qazilbash
Ali Ahmed Rind
Population & Environment Communication Center, SDPI
Introduction
Location: West of Sewhan, Dadu district, Sindh;
200 kms north of Karachi.
Manchhar Lake is a vast natural depression,
surrounded by hills of Khirthur mountain range
to the west, Lakki hills to the South, the Indus
to the East and a flood protection bund to the
north east.
Largest Freshwater Body in all of South Asia
ranging from 60 to 200 sq.km in area depending
on the seasonal variations.
Feeding Sources
There are three main feeding sources:
1. Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD), which
later become the Right Bank Out-fall Drain
(RBOD) from Hammal Lake and drainage
canals from the districts north of the lake.
2.
The River Indus, through 2 canals:
Aral & Daniestar
3.
Rain fed Hill torrents from Khirthar Hills
The uses of Manchhar
Three main uses of this wetland:
1.
Ecological haven for migratory birds
2.
Source of livelihoods for:
(i) Fishing communities - fisherfolk -
Mohanas
(ii)
Non-Fishing communities farmers; small business folk /
traders
Environmental Degradation
Our study identified two main causes of
environmental degradation of the lake:
1.
RBOD
2.
Reckless fishing practices
Mohanas were using DDT mixed in cereal grains as
bait and motorized boats to cover larger areas of
water.
MNVD/RBOD
MNVD constructed y the British in 1932 to control
floods of Hammal Lake and low lying areas of
southern Sindh.
1982: Government of Pakistan remodeled this canal
and re-named it RBOD to act as a drain to carry off
the upstream agricultural runoff/effluents into the
Arabian Sea.
As this project did not arrive to its desired purpose,
the RBOD was re-directed to Manchhar lake as a
temporary end point, until the drainage project was
completed.
Environmental Impact of
MNVD/RBOD
The impact of the saline/polluted effluents of the
MNVD/RBOD did not appear during the initial years
as the inflow of fresh water from the other sources
was quite regular and uninterrupted, thereby
diluting the effect of the MNVD/RBOD runoff.
In the mid 90s, a year after the flood, and onwards
this area experienced a prolonged drought (5-7
years), which diminished the supply of freshwater.
Compounded by the upstream water projects the
flow of water from the Indus was also cut off.
Laboratory analysis of water taken from
MNVD/RBOD
Temp: 25.6°C
pH: 7.44
TSS: 562 mg/L
TDS: 2,316 mg/L (WHO - 1000 mg/L)
Cl: 988 mg/L
Fl: 1.16 mg/L
+ve for fecal coliforms 80 mpn/100ml, with
120x103 cfu/ml
Water analysis of samples taken from
Manchhar
Temp: 26.2°C
pH: 7.24
TSS: 1564 mg/L
Cl: 1,930 mg/L
Fl: 1.71 mg/L
+ve for fecal coliforms with 300x103 cfu/ml
Other species include Bacillus cereus and
Staphylococcus aureus
Results of water analysis conducted by
University of Sindh. Year 2001
University of Sindh
WHO
pH
Total hardness (mg/l)
6.9-8.8
715-966
6.5-8.5
100-500
TDS (mg/l)
Salinity(mg/l)
Chloride (mg/l)
757-6360
80-5600
320-2685
1000
0.65-300
250
Impacts of environmental degradation
Dwindling fish catch
Fish catch:
1950 – 3000 tons
1994 – 300 tons
2003 – less than 100 tons
The major fish harvested from these waters today is called the Dayya which
is small saline tolerant fish that fetches Rs5-6/kg, but the contractor who
buys these fish, dries them and sells them as poultry feed for Rs 500/40kg (~
Rs 12.5/kg).
Reduced number of migratory birds
Poor water quality for irrigation of farm lands
Impacts of environmental degradation
cont’d...
Increase in waterborne diseases;
malnutrition and poor hygiene
Increased incidence of Gastro enteritis, Tuberculosis
and Scurvy (lack of vitamin C)
Enhanced POVERTY
Forced Migration (some 40,000 people are reported to
have migrated out of the lake out of a total population
of 100,000)
Impacts of environmental degradation
cont’d...
So, the diminished catch size, low cash price and loss of aquatic
plant life, compounded to enhance poverty amongst the
Mohanas.
Adding to their misery was the lack of clean drinking water, low
crop yield for the farmers of Manchhar, as they too used the lake
waters for irrigation, the socio-economic situation of the people
of Manchhar deteriorated.
As a result, the Mohanas began to practice unsavory fishing
methods, using DDT, motorized boats, dynamite and grain as
bait to enhance their fish catch. Instead they further polluted
the waters of Manchhar and worsened their chances of
sustained livelihood.
Social impacts of environmental degradation
With increased poverty the fishing communities in particular
and non-fishing communities in general opted to migrate to
other places like wetlands and urban areas to seek source of
livelihood.
The study revealed that majority of people left behind were
forced into peddling/begging for food, while others turned to
drugs to forget about their problems
Those who migrated were trapped in bonded labor by the
contractors / money lenders. Some of them who did return
following the recent floods said that they suffered greatly
after migrating from the Lake.
Social Impacts cont’d...
Due to the persistent flow of polluted waters into
Manchhar Lake, compounded by prolonged drought,
improper/unsustainable fishing techniques, the fish
population of the lake has slowly but surely declined to
levels that could not support the livelihoods of the
Mohanas – boat people of Manchhar.
As a result, reportedly 40,000 people of Manchhar
migrated to different areas throughout Pakistan and
even abroad (Iran & Afghanistan) in search for a better
life!!
Social Impacts cont’d...
As a consequence of this the social & human impact has
magnified many fold:
Diminished fish catch, aquatic plant harvest,
Poor / contaminated water source / quality

Ill health – particularly amongst the children & women

Poor / no health facilities to cater for the growing need for
quality care and medicines

Driven the Mohanas further into poverty leading to forced
migration
Social Impacts cont’d...
Gender disparity in terms of healthcare:
On average women at Manchhar work 12 –18 hours everyday
Yet few/none have access to mother-child healthcare facilities –
simply because none, or the one’s that exist are ill-equipped or
too far away
No lady doctors; No post-natal care; No LHVs/LHWs
Social barriers prevent women from visiting male doctors
Acute poverty has effected the nutritional status of women and
children in particular – most malnourished and susceptible to
preventable diseases, diarrhea, skin infection, TB, RTI, etc.
Social Impacts cont’d...
Due to the prolonged drought over the past 6-7 years there has
been a paucity of fresh water inflow to Manchhar.
Arguably, the recent floods have somewhat relieved the situation
in terms of water quality & levels at Manchhar, but at a human
cost lives.
Simultaneously, these flood waters have brought some
hope to these desperate people, but are wee to rely on
natural calamities to solve our ecological and socioeconomic problems?
The government has finally admitted that MNVD/RBOD has been
dumping saline/agriculture wastewaters into Manchhar and have
come up with a plan “RBOD-II” to divert the contaminated
waters of the RBOD, before it reaches Manchhar and dump this
water into the sea through a new drainage system.
RBOD - II
This is a 6-year project and has latent flaws – the most glaring
of which being that for a 3 km stretch the RBOD-II will share its
banks with the Indus – increasing the chances of the
contaminated waters to flow into the Indus.
Over the next 6 years what is become of Manchhar Lake while
the RBOD-II is being constructed?
Polluted waters will continue to enter the lake
Fish stock will not be replenished
Aquatic plants will perish, except for algae,which will grow at an
accelerated rate since there will be no fish to feed upon them –
resulting in eutrophication – suffocating all remaining life-forms.
Study carried out at Manchhar
Qualitative study designed, based two sets of questionnaires
and interviews of selected individuals of the Manchhar, to
ascertain:
* If the devolution plan has had any effect in solving/
addressing the problems of community
* Advocating improved management of the natural
resources at grass root levels
* To determine if the people can identify the source of
the environmental degradation of the lake
* What remedies they propose to alleviate their
problems and who local representatives can do to help!?
Findings from interviews
- majority, with the exception of RBOD officials, identified
the MNVD/RBOD as the main cause of degradation of the
lake.
- few saw it as a natural phenomenon following the long
drought
- of the farmers interviews, the majority blamed the
Mohanas – fisher folk and their callus of imprudent fishing
methods for the environmental degradation of the lake
- other proposed strict regulation of fishing practices to
prevent the Mohanas from using cereal grains as bait, DDT
and other toxic chemicals and motorized boats
Findings from interviews
-the
Mohanas agreed that the living conditions of those
who migrated from the lake worsened once they left the
lake, some did return after the recent floods to tell their
frightful stories.
-However,
other who left because of defaulting on their
payment to the contractors did not return fearing
repercussions and further hardships.
many of the fisher folk expressed their disappointment
with civil society groups (NGOs/CBOs) working in the
area, claiming that they have failed to provide them with
help, guidance during their hour of greatest need
-
Findings from interviews
-few
did identify one organization Basic Minimum
Development Needs Program (BMDN), which through
WHO funding had helped the Mohanas by introducing
micro-credit schemes to assist the purchase of nets,
boats etc.
Solutions derived from the interviews
-equally
important for the survival of the community
are schools and hospitals, which the fisherman stated
they needed to combat the numerous water-borne
diseases and other related ailments, and the need for
the children to get quality education.
-The
fishermen recalled that in the 70s and 80s
Manchhar was littered with boat schools and boat
clinics. They said that through micro-credit financing or
projects driven by NGOs/CBOs working in these areas,
the boat clinics and schools could be re-introduced.
OIL & GAS EXPLORATION AT MANCHHAR
Regarding the possibility of oil and gas exploration by multinational
companies, at Manchhar, a majority of those interviewed were aware of
such plans.
However, some, saw no harm in the exploration, or operation, within the
lake as they identified this as opportunity for employment and betterment.
Many did disagree with such plans and said that it would harm the water
quality.
Nonetheless, nearly all the people interviewed were skeptical, based on
previous records, whether multinational oil and gas companies would truly
help the local communities in terms of employment opportunities or
financial remuneration for the use of their land/waters, citing the examples
of the two big gas fields, Bhit and Badho operated by LASMO/ENI are only
few kilometers away from the Lake.
To a question of how they would react if the company goes ahead with its
exploration and operation within the lake body, some claimed that they
would protest and take up the issue at the national level, if necessary while
others were uncertain about their action plan.
Thank-you