Fisherfolk Demands Protection of Rivers and Delta
By Preet Tania
Karachi – March 14: On the occasion of International Rivers Day the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) organized a rally in Ibrahim Hyderi under the banner “Protect Rivers, Protect Humans.” The rally passed through various localities of Ibrahim Hyderi before concluding at Mil Jetty.
Addressing the participants, PFF Central General Secretary Saeed Baloch said that the Indus Delta has already been severely devastated, while the rulers, instead of addressing the crisis, are planning to construct six canals on the Indus River. He stressed that water is the foundation of life, and no living being can survive without it. He added that throughout history, the world’s great civilizations emerged and flourished along rivers and other water bodies.
Baloch further warned that the rapidly growing human population, combined with the accelerating melting of glaciers, could lead to a severe water shortage in the future. He said that the continuous failure to release adequate water downstream into the Indus Delta has allowed seawater to intrude inland, causing Sindh to lose about 4.2 million acres of fertile land to the sea.
He also pointed out that fresh water accounts for only about one percent of the total water available on Earth, making its protection and equitable distribution critically important. He reiterated that the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum will continue to strongly oppose the construction of dams and canals on the Indus River.
Fatima Majeed, Senior Vice Chairperson of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum, said that nations and civilizations that failed to protect their natural resources—especially water and rivers—eventually disappeared from the map of history. She warned that if the government proceeds with plans to construct new canals on the Indus River, Sindh could turn into a barren land, putting the lives and livelihoods of its people at serious risk. She added that the people of Sindh will continue to resist any new canal or dam project on the Indus River, including the proposed Cholistan Canal.
Ayub Shan, Central Information Secretary of the forum, stated that water is a fundamental human right because water is life itself. Depriving communities of water, he said, is effectively a violation of basic human rights.
Talib Kachhi, Secretary of Fisherfolk Karachi, said that the construction of additional canals on the Indus River would disrupt the natural balance of the river system and threaten the livelihoods of millions who depend on the river for drinking water, agriculture, and fishing.
