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Indus River needs eco-policy
Bhagwandas | February, 2003
In our consistent exploitation of natural resources for immediate gains, we keep on destroying our ecosystems and harming their biodiversity. Because of this reckless attitude and persistent neglect, we have brought many areas under severe ecological stress.
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Indus River : The lifeline of Pakistan, flows more than 3,000 kilometres to the Arabian Sea through mountains, plains and deltaic ecosystems. |
The Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) has carried out a worldwide study to identify 200 seriously threatened biodiversity-rich areas in order to create awareness about their importance and subsequently to take necessary steps for their conservation.
The position so far was that, as a rule, each country had declared specific protected areas within its own boundaries and, in many instances, the neighbouring countries did not recognize them as such. But, as an ecosystem does not recognize political boundaries, the lack of coordination among neighbouring countries incarrying out a concerted conservation programme to protect adjoining areas only deteriorates and degrades the situation further.
So, in order to counter this specific threat, the concept of "ecoregion" has been developed. Under this concept, an "ecoregion" is one that shares similar ecological characteristics and may cover more than one country. Out of the two hundred G200 areas, five are located in Pakistan - the Indus delta Ecoregion being one of them.
Originating at Lake Ngangla Ringco high on the Tibetan Plateau, the Indus flows more than 3,000 kilometres to the Arabian Sea through mountains, plains and deltaic ecosystems with a unique range of geographical features and biodiversity. It is the lifeline of Pakistan as 85 per cent of the population residing in the region directly depends on its water. Its waters are home to one of the few species of freshwater dolphin worldwide, the Indus River dolphin (Platanista minor) and numerous species of distinctive fishes, many of which live in or migrate through the waters of the Indus River Delta. Important food species like large freshwater shrimp (Macrobrachium spp.) are part of the abundant aquatic life of the delta.
In addition to Indus River dolphin, the river is home to a number of endemic fishes, including Indus Baril (Barilius modestus), Indus Garua (Clupisoma naziri) and Rita Catfish (Rita rita). Several snakehead fishes also live here, including giant snakehead (Channa marulius). Several fish species, such as Hilsa Shad (Tenualosa ilisha), return from the Arabian Sea to spawn in freshwater.
Two freshwater lakes, Haleji and Keenjhar - designated as "Ramsar sites", are fed by the Indus. Besides supporting a large variety of flora and fauna, both the lakes play host to hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl on their annual journey from the colder Central Asia to warmer environment in the south. The lakes are also used to provide drinking water to Karachi.
The fan-shaped Indus Delta - part of Ecoregion 156 - is the sixth largest delta in the world and covers almost 600,000 hectares, with seventeen major and innumerable minor creeks crisscrossing its mudflats. Almost 160,000 hectares are covered by mangrove forest, making it the largest arid zone mangrove forest in the world. Once eight mangrove species were reported in the area, but now only four are left with three in small isolated pockets - Avicennia manna outnumbering all other species.
The Indus Delta Ecoregion was environmentally healthy till about half a century back as it received sufficient flow of water but, with the construction of reservoirs, canals and barrages upstream, the water supply to the lower reaches of the Indus decreased with the passage of time. The situation worsened whenever there were no or very little rains and sometimes almost draught-like situation happened.
Due to the decreasing amount of freshwater flowing into the delta, the seawater has started intruding the coastal areas, making the subsoil aquifers salty. The increased salinity caused by seawater intrusion in the coastal areas of Thatta and Badin is estimated to have ruined nearly quarter of a million hectares of agricultural fields in the process.
Recently, the Worldwide Fund for Nature organized a four-day workshop to bring the stakeholders together to develop a common vision for the Indus Delta Ecoregion (IDER).
The objectives of the workshop were to:
- review information on conservation status of Indus Delta Ecoregion (IDER);
- identify knowledge gaps;
- identify and highlight threats and issues to be addressed;
- identify priority actions;
- build a common vision; and
- initiate a process for developing a common strategy and action plan for the Indus Delta Ecoregion.
The workshop comprising three-day-long extensive discussions and a day-long field trip to the mangrove forests in the IDER was attended by nearly a 100 representatives and experts from various educational, scientific, research, NGOs, CBOs, professional bodies, community, etc. Nine focus groups were formed that after extensive discussions on the issues gave their recommendations.
The focus groups were:
- Fresh water resources;
- Fresh water and brackish wetlands of Indus Delta Ecoregion (IDER);
- Riverine and coastal forests of IDER;
- Wildlife of IDER;
- Fish resources of IDER;
- Invertebrates and insecticides of IDER;
- Pollution in IDER;
- Stake-holder communities in IDER; and
- Economic value of IDER resources.
The most common issues raised by many of these groups was the continuous decline of fresh water reaching the Delta. They said that the quality of water, reaching the delta, was deteriorating fast. They pointed out that while the natural resources were depleting, a very limited number of people had access to whatever were available.
They mentioned that the policy framework for the laws and rules, aimed at conserving the resources, is not being worked on in some regions and non-existing in other regions. At the same time, they added, the few laws at hand were not being complied with fully owing to lack of good governance, ineffective enforcement, poor law and order, weak institutional coordination and performance, corruption and flawed dispensation of justice, etc.
The groups observed that the awareness on the issue in policy makers, politicians and the public at large was not sufficient. They also indicated at the non-availability of required expertise and the problem of poor database which, they said, were hampering the efforts to improve the situation.
They feared extinction of wildlife species; devastation of habitats of global, Ecoregional and national importance, decline in national revenue owing to the adverse effects on fisheries and other underwater resources and worsened poverty among the stake-holders, such as fishing community, if prompt and appropriate measures were not taken in this direction.
The groups recommended a conservation strategy for the next 50 years for the Indus Delta Ecoregion. They also suggested that in each and every conservation project, the communities and stakeholders should be made part of it. This was essential, they added, because the very stakeholders would have to carry forward the conservation work once the projects completed their term and foreign funding, scientists and experts withdrawn. They pointed out that the stakeholders and communities form the local residents, of the respective regions, who depend on the resources of the eco-system for their livelihood.
The Secretary, Forest and Wildlife, Shamsul Haq Memon, WWF chief, Brig. (retired) Mukhtar Ahmad, Ali Hassan Habib, Dr. Ejaz, Dr. Hassan Moinuddin and Richard Garstang were among those spoke on the workshop.
The writer is with Dawn newspaper in Pakistan.
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