STAFF REPORT KHI: Nearly 3.5 million acres of agricultural land in Sindh has been eroded since 1956 and coastal districts of the province will be submerged by 2050 if immediate measures are not taken to protect the Indus Delta, experts said.
“Badin, Thatta and Sajawal will be underwater by 2050 if 35 million acre feet (MAF) of water are not released from the Indus Delta,” claimed Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum Chairperson Ali Shah.
The government should investigate the reason for the intrusion of the sea. It is caused by the stoppage of water flow in the Indus Delta, he said.
Discussing the apprehensions of the residents of Badin, Thatta and Sajawal, Shah said that more than 0.8 million families had migrated from the coastal areas.
Referring to a study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Nasir Ali Panhwar, Executive Director Centre for Environment and Development, said that it showed that at least 35MAF of water had to be released.
“The food basket of Karachi, Malir, is also being eroded and the water table has recently gone down.”
Altaf Hussain Shaikh, the conservation manager of WWF-Pakistan, also emphasised the need to ensure a certain flow of water in the Indus Delta.