Pakistan: Government policies turn blind eye to fishermen's pleas, lose coastal area of Sindh to sea

Karachi [Pakistan], September 13 (ANI): Due to the reduction of flow of water in the Indus, the fishermen community living alongside the coast of Sindh is seeing their lands and livelihoods being destroyed due to the seeping in of seawater and unresponsive government actions, the Express Tribune reported on Saturday.

According to the Express Tribune, Yasmeen Shah, Central Leader of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, revealed that while the erosion of land in the coastal areas of Sindh was first reported in 1950, so far about 3.5 million acres of land have already been lost to the sea.

Shah further noted that the fishing community has suffered the most since their villages were washed away by the sea, due to which thousands of families had to migrate in search of employment.

Shah highlighted that due to the policies of the Sindh government, the contract system in the fisheries sector has been strengthened, which has severely affected the employment of poor fishermen. Along with this, there has been no arrangement of social security made for the fishermen at the government level.

Commenting on the new fisheries policy of the federal government, Shah highlighted that it would further threaten the employment of fishermen by protecting the interests of big companies that are seeking to thrive in the fisheries sector.

According to Naseer Memon, an expert on disaster management and resettlement, after the Kotri barrage and construction of new canals, not only are millions of people living in lower Sindh areas being deprived of drinking water, but the reduction of water flow would affect the Indus Delta system, thereby resulting in continuous sea intrusion.

The Express Tribune tried contacting Director General of Fisheries Sindh, Siraj Ahmed Solangi, to inquire about the steps taken by the Sindh government to protect the rights of fishermen, but despite waiting for a long time, no response was received from him.

Speaking to the Express Tribune, Fatima Majeed, newly elected chairperson of the Fishermen Cooperative Society for the welfare of fishermen, noted that the fishing community had been facing problems for a long time. "Increasing the employment opportunities of fishermen and launching their welfare projects will be our top priority. We will also try to increase the export of fish so that more employment opportunities could be provided to the fishermen," said Majeed. (ANI)

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