ENVIRONMENT-PAKISTAN: Death of a Delta By Zofeen Ebrahim
KHARO CHAAN, Sindh, Feb 28 (IPS) - Sitting on a rickety bench outside the dispensary of Dr. Abdul Jalil at Deh Bublo, Issa Mallah, a centenarian, watches the world go by. He says he comes to this ‘city’ everyday to buy his groceries.
Jalil is not a doctor but a dispenser. And Deh Bublo does not even remotely fit the definition of a city - though it once was a flourishing town.
To Mallah and the other 5,000 or so inhabitants of the scattered 25-30 villages on this 25 sq km island of Kharo Chhan (salt water swamps in the Sindhi language), Deh Bublo - which has no electricity and depends on a muddy pond for drinking water - is the nearest thing to a city. It does boast of a primary school, a mosque and Jalil’s clinic.
The Indus delta, on which Kharo Chhan stands, once occupied an area of about 600,000 hectares. It consisted of creeks, forests and mudflats. The active delta, say experts, is now just 10 percent of the original area.
For the last 25 years, Jalil, who has studied till grade 12, has been practicing medicine at the government-run clinic. But, his own family has moved to Karachi for a ‘’better, cleaner’’ lifestyle.
Jalil’s practice is good thanks to the highly contaminated water the villagers buy from the vendors who tank up from the muddy swamp. ‘’I tell them to boil the water, but fuel is expensive and these people cannot afford it,’’ he says. ‘’Most of the children (some 800 are under-five) suffer from diarrhoea, cough and fever,’’ Jalil says.
Kharo Chhan, stands at a distance of 80 km from Gharo town on the National Highway, town, and 150 km from the port city of Karachi. It is located in the Mutni Creek of Thatta district.
A ferryboat trip costing Rs 25 (31 US cents) is the only way to get to the island. The ride lasts about 15 minutes but the boat will not leave the rickety jetty until it is full and that may take well over an hour. Passengers may have for company chickens, goats, buffaloes, bags of grocery and the odd bicycle.
Jalil is not a doctor but a dispenser. And Deh Bublo does not even remotely fit the definition of a city - though it once was a flourishing town.
To Mallah and the other 5,000 or so inhabitants of the scattered 25-30 villages on this 25 sq km island of Kharo Chhan (salt water swamps in the Sindhi language), Deh Bublo - which has no electricity and depends on a muddy pond for drinking water - is the nearest thing to a city. It does boast of a primary school, a mosque and Jalil’s clinic.
The Indus delta, on which Kharo Chhan stands, once occupied an area of about 600,000 hectares. It consisted of creeks, forests and mudflats. The active delta, say experts, is now just 10 percent of the original area.
For the last 25 years, Jalil, who has studied till grade 12, has been practicing medicine at the government-run clinic. But, his own family has moved to Karachi for a ‘’better, cleaner’’ lifestyle.
Jalil’s practice is good thanks to the highly contaminated water the villagers buy from the vendors who tank up from the muddy swamp. ‘’I tell them to boil the water, but fuel is expensive and these people cannot afford it,’’ he says. ‘’Most of the children (some 800 are under-five) suffer from diarrhoea, cough and fever,’’ Jalil says.
Kharo Chhan, stands at a distance of 80 km from Gharo town on the National Highway, town, and 150 km from the port city of Karachi. It is located in the Mutni Creek of Thatta district.
A ferryboat trip costing Rs 25 (31 US cents) is the only way to get to the island. The ride lasts about 15 minutes but the boat will not leave the rickety jetty until it is full and that may take well over an hour. Passengers may have for company chickens, goats, buffaloes, bags of grocery and the odd bicycle.
posted by temporal at 3/02/2009
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