‘Indus Delta,’ is authored by the late writer, researcher, and journalist Anwar Pirzado
The past cycles of exploitation have hit the inhabitants of the deltaic region hard. With sea degradation and soil deterioration, the people of the delta have migrated, and there is no freshwater available for fishing.
Farooq Sargani
‘Indus Delta,’ authored by the late writer, researcher, and journalist Anwar Pirzado, is divided into four parts. In the first part, the author discusses his Indus expedition of 1989, which he conducted along with Badar Abro, Kaleem Lashari, Ishtiaq Ansari, and several other members of the Sindh Culture Department. They voyaged for 22 days, starting from the Kabul River and ending near Port Qasim. His writing depicts the beauty of the Indus through the lens of history. They visited archaeological sites along the banks of the mighty Indus River during the voyage.
According to him, the banks of the Indus have become vibrant tourist spots. He notes, “And before the tourist crosses the present Sindh-Punjab border to reach Mithan Kot, there is the lasting place of the Seraiki’s great classical poet Baba Khawaja Farid.” Furthermore, the Abbasin Fort, Bukhara, the Attock Fort, Kaloor Kot, and many others are situated near the banks of the Indus River. In addition, there is an ancient stone-carved graveyard present as well. Upon reaching Port Qasim by boat, he expressed sadness, stating, “However, the most painful aspect to come to light during the expedition was the very survival and water flow of the Indus River.” One of the members of his team sighted the Indus dolphin at the downstream Kalabagh Barrage. They met with the indigenous Ket people, who have delicious food, and one of the old men interviewed by Anwar described the dolphin: “The dolphin’s face is like a rat, its tail is similar to a fish, and the rest of its body resembles a woman.” After the end of the 1989 expedition, he repeatedly expressed his feelings in words. He claimed, “I had never seen such beauty in the Indus and didn’t have words to address it. The thing of beauty which is Indus.”
After completing the Indus expedition, he delivered a speech in which he mentioned that “restoring the fast-declining boat culture in the Indus River, besides opening new vistas for the indigenous communities of great commercial significance, will boost overall development of the rural areas of Pakistan.”
In the second part of his book, Anwar strongly condemned the injustice of the water accord (1991), which was signed by Jam Sadiq Ali and was unacceptable to Sindh since the basis of the accord was the distribution of water effective during the regime of Gen. Zia from 1977 to 1982. The Punjab government has been struggling with water unavailability, a major cause of water shortages in the system. Conversely, when there was a shortage of water in Sindh, Punjab forcefully redirected water to their lands. Anwar narrates, “The upper riparian tells us that there is a shortage due to natural factors like little rainfall and drought. Then, we find out that we are not receiving any water because the Tarbela Dam is being filled, and the water is diverted through the link canals to the Punjab River.”
In modern times, Sindh has been protesting against water shortages, corporate farming, and the construction of six strategic canals. Meanwhile, Punjab opened the Taunsa-Panjnad link canal to provide water for their fields.
Anwar claims that the upper class of Punjab is waging a water war against the lower riparian Sindh, leaving the people of Sindh in a precarious position; they find themselves either in jail or facing prosecution. The third part of the book discusses community-based ecotourism in the Indus Delta and the proposed Karachi-Mumbai ferry service. In it, he emphasizes developing tourism in the Indus Delta but expresses concern about the threats to biodiversity and communities that such development might entail.
He conducted thorough research on eco-tourism with the help of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), writing research papers and discussing the potential benefits for the economy and local fishing communities. He asserts, “Unemployed youth of the area would be selected and trained in the tourism sector to enhance their capacities to the extent that they receive jobs as tourist guides in the deltaic region.” However, he laments that the provincial and federal governments have destroyed the Indus Delta. Currently, many people are vacating their hamlets in the deltaic region, various species of rare fish have become virtually nonexistent, and seawater has intruded upon fertile soil. In this context, fishermen wander the dirty streets of Karachi in search of food and have moved to the Ibrahim Hadri for fishing.
In one of his articles, Ecological Disaster in the Indus Delta, Anwar reveals that “the ecology of the deltaic region of the Indus depended on the brackish water created by a mix of fresh and sweet water from the river with ocean brine, but the Punjab grabbing water destroyed the entire ecology of the delta, and the major crop of red rice has become a chapter of the past.” He also discusses the detrimental projects of the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD), which carries toxic waste from western Punjab, Balochistan, and northern Sindh, polluting natural water sources like Hamal Lake and Manchhar Lake. The Left Bank Outfall Drain has devastated several union councils in Badin, displacing both fishermen and farmers.
The fourth and final part of the book presents a research study of the Indus Delta, elaborating on the causes of famine, mass displacement of fishermen, lack of government attention, and natural and man-made disasters creating instability and interrupting the natural flow of water that is essential for the Indus Delta.
As Anwar states, “Historically, the delta has formed in an arid climate under conditions of high river discharge, contributing to 4 billion tons of sediment per year.” He has conducted in-depth research on the Indus Delta, and after reading this book, one can realize that many people in Badin and Thatta cultivated wheat, rice, bananas, mangoes, and various other fruits. However, with sea degradation and soil deterioration, the people of the delta have migrated, and there is no freshwater available for fishing. Presently, fishermen rely on mud crabs for survival, with children often catching them, even though there is little to no access to fresh water. Additionally, the past cycles of exploitation have hit the inhabitants of the deltaic region hard.
In my opinion, these issues stem from the negligence of provincial and federal governments, which seem determined to destroy Sindh’s natural environment and exploit the rights of indigenous people for profit. Consequently, a mass movement has arisen in an organized manner throughout Sindh. All citizens—including workers, farmers, and political parties—have launched a movement demanding the federal government reassess water canal issues. The remedy for all the ailments of the Indus Delta lies solely in water. This is the start of a revolution; the oppressed nations stand firmly united against tyrannical rule. The battle for water is a battle for survival, and we must stand firm and fight for our motherland.
Read – Book Review: A Case of the Indus River
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The reviewer is a freelance writer and student of history at the University of Karachi.
