Sindh: Manchar Lake & Poor Fisherfolk.

Sindh: Manchar Lake & Poor Fisherfolk.

Manchar Lake was once a tourist destination, a wetland that was a haven for migratory waterfowl and home to a thriving community of Mohannas and agriculturalists who raised crops around the lake’s shallow bed. Over the years, shortage of rains and the influx of chemical effluents have started playing havoc with the lake and its people ]

Fishermen living around the lake are the happiest, as contaminated water from the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) had poisoned the 233-square-kilometre lake for a long time. “We have been praying for freshwater and cannot believe that it has come in such a large quantity, bringing various kinds of fish,” said fisherman Allah Dino Mallah. “We would have celebrated had there not been such a calamity in other parts of Sindh.” Mustafa Meerani, vice-chairman Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, who lives in Bobak Town, off Manchar Lake, added that the “fishermen treasure freshwater because it revives their culture and provides them with a livelihood”. According to Meerani, the rise in water levels will not threaten people living around the lake. “The lake cannot overflow until the water reaches 120 Reduce Level (RL) and right now there is 112 RL of water,” he explained, adding that there is an increase of two inches in the water level every day, which comes to a five-foot increase every five days. If the water continues to rise at this rate, there is no threat to the residents of Manchar Lake for the next 20 days, Meerani assured. “I hope till that time, water in the River Indus will start reducing, so that around 3,000 cusecs can then be discharged from the lake,” he added. The level of the River Indus is 118 RL and it is expected to decrease with each day. Once that happens, the additional water from Manchar Lake will be discharged into the Indus though three canals – Danister Wah, Aral Head and Aral Tail.