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Fishermen representing inland water communities have launched a campaign to ‘retrieve’ natural lakes from the alleged occupation of certain influential people.
The fishermen from Sanghar, Tharparkar, Jamshoro, Dadu and other districts have staged several protest rallies after holding consultative meetings in this regard with all the stakeholders, a spokesman for the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) said. The spokesperson added that more communities were being mobilized to struggle for the retrieval of the lakes which have been ‘occupied by feudal lords’.
They had demanded the Sindh government to abolish the contract system, the PFF official said. A statement issued on Monday said that the PFF wanted the government to bring amendment in the Sindh Fisheries Ordinance 1980, abolish contract system through legislation and ensure that the fishermen’s sources of living were protected.
“Mere announcement about the need for its deletion from the ordinance was of no use,” said the spokesperson, “Because influential persons and former contractors had made the lives of fishermen miserable.” Presently, reports coming from different lakes reveal that certain influential landlords have encroached sweet water bodies, depriving fishermen of their right to catch fish.
“This has irritated fishermen and they are ready to fight together for their rights,” the PFF official said. “As contract system in fishing business is a problem the communities have been facing for long.” The spokesperson said that they had conveyed their grievances to the Provincial Fisheries Minister, legislators elected from the coastal areas and those representing inland water communities and urged them to raise the issue in the recent Sindh Assembly session, but nothing was done in this regard.
“It shows the indifference of the legislators and the provincial ministers towards the fishermen. The inland water communities have always been neglected like this,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, hundreds of fishermen and women gathered outside the press club in Sanghar, condemning the illegal encroachment on ‘their’ lakes. Fishermen representatives, Hussain Bakhsh Mallah, Ramzan Mallah, Azim Roonjho and others, addressing the rally, said that they would continue their struggle until ‘their’ lakes were protected. They had launched similar struggles during the tenure of the former government and were thus put in jails but they did not quit their struggle, the representatives said.
“We were expecting more from the PPP government to protect our rights. But unfortunately we are facing the same hardships as we were when the PPP was not in the government,” said Ramzan Mallah, who had earlier led the effective movement against the contract system in the district.
Moreover, fishermen from Jamshoro and Sann, Mohammed Malah and Nawaz Mallah, in a joint press conference, said that two major lakes near Sann town and Khanoth have been occupied by certain influential people, who have the backing of power corridors, compelling fishermen to sell their fish catch to them at negligible rates. They said that two sweet water bodies in Khanoth and two in Sann were still in possession of the influential persons and armed guards have been posted there. They complained that fishermen were stopped from catching fish in these areas and were being harassed and intimidated by implicating them in fake cases.
The PFF leaders said that the government had issued Benazir Fishing Cards which were of no use because the armed men deployed at the lakes did not even allow the fishermen to enter the sweet water bodies. They said that the fishermen were deprived of all basic facilities, including health, education and shelter. They were so helpless that they could not catch fish even for their own families.
PFF Umerkot leaders, Sahrif Mallah, Ghafoor Mallah and others, led a protest demonstration in the headquarter of the desert district, reminding the provincial government to fulfill its promises it had made before the general elections. Carrying placards and banners, fishermen and women chanted slogans against the legislators and urged the higher authorities to pay attention to their demands.
Moreover, the PFF officials said that they appealed to the president and prime minister of Pakistan to protect the rights of the fishermen. They demanded to make proper legislation after taking the community people in confidence so that the fishermen’s rights could be protected, and no influential person should be allowed to take the inland waters under their control.
By our correspondent
The News, Tuesday, July 27, 2010
* http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=253025
Fishermen demand action against violators
KARACHI - The poor fishermen community on Friday appealed to the government to ensure a strict action against the use of prohibited nets in Sindh marine water which has put juvenile fish stock at the verge of extinct.
Several fishermen from Ibrahim Hydri claimed that a number of influential people are still using prohibited nets in the marine water, not only challenging the writ of the state but also causing a the fish stock in Sindh water. The fishing industry has reached on the edge of the disaster. The century old industry has facing alarming situation due to violation of cod of conduct set up by the government regarding the fishing. The fishermen representative bodies have claimed that the fish stock has depleted by 50 percent, while the exact figure could not be provided as there was survey carried out since early 80s.
The fishermen due to shortage of fish stock move toward to Balochistan, but they face difficulties because the Balochistan authorities had strictly implementing their rule and regulation regarding fishing.
Talking to TheNation, Sami Memon of Pakistan Fisher folk Forum PFF has pointed out that near 250 prohibited nets still set up in all big 17 creaks of marine water of coastal built of Ibrahim Hydri, Rehri, Sakro, KT Bander, Jati and other by the influential people, resulting in depleting fish stock. He added that such nets were prohibited to use for the survival of the fish species but the influential people have not implementing it.
Sami said that over-fishing, fishing on commercial basis and neglecting the traditional fishing system were also contributing also caused of declining the fish stock in Sindh water. He said that due to changing of environment across the world, while the Sindh water is also being affected resulting dying of a large quantity of fish. He said that the policies to tackle with the situation of the changing of climate, but so far no such policy has been introduced by the Pakistani authorities.
The Nation, February 27, 2010
Neglect, water shortage adding to Indus delta’s destruction
Indus delta, a famous Ramsar Site, earlier occupied an area of about 600,000 hectors, consisting of creeks, mud flats and mangrove forests that spread from Karachi to Rann of Kutchh. However, presently, the active delta is considered to be less than 10 per cent of its original area.
The wildlife department, in 1972, declared the deltaic regions of Keti Bunder, Shah Bunder and Cut Manarki Chach as wildlife sanctuaries because of thick forests and natural grazing fields. These areas were also home to millions of indigenous people.
Many species of beautiful birds and animals have since left the Indus delta because the natural habitat has been destroyed by persistent water shortage. As a result, the forest cover is gone and so are the grazing fields.
Talking to The News, Deputy Conservator Sindh Wildlife Department Ghulam Sarwar Jamali said, “The tail-end areas had significance because it linked two zones; River Indus and the coastal area, where both marine and fresh water species inhabited. Apart from this, the delta had thick forests and grazing fields that attracted wildlife species and migratory birds. It was rich in terms of biodiversity. But now, the species are struggling for survival due to the destruction of natural habitats and depletion of mangroves.”
Local activists say that the thick mangrove forests used to provide shelter to species of deer, hare, jackal, wolf, wild bore, black and brown partridge. Apart from this, the area also served as an attractive site for the migratory water birds. The delta also contributed to the preservation and conservation of biodiversity, which provided basis for ecological health and economic incentives to the local communities.
People of a small coastal town of Baghan, Thatta District still remember the beautiful thick forests along the coastal belt in the Indus delta region, where wildlife species thrived in large numbers. They remember the days when deer, hares and black and brown partridges, were commonly found in the area. However, now all the glories of the past have almost faded away.
The local people tell these stories like fairy tales in a bid to remember the old blissful days and to tell their children how beautiful the place used to be. They tell the younger generation about the different species of birds, animals, fresh and colourful flowers and trees that once comprised the beauty of the region, and how the fate of the deltaic area changed with the passage of time.
Meanwhile, activists have linked the indifference of the concerned government authorities to the widespread destruction of natural habitats as well as depletion of wildlife. Extensive deforestation and human interference in the ecology might be the main cause that led to a marked deterioration in vegetation. This did not only affect the sources of livelihood of local communities, it also has increased poverty and migration of the local communities, they added.
Despite tall claims by the successive government, no effective measures have been taken to monitor or assess the current status of wildlife species in the natural mangroves forests. The Indus delta needs immediate attention regarding rehabilitation of natural habitats and natural resources that provide livelihoods to thousands of community people.
By Jan Khaskheli, Karachi
The News, February 27, 2010
* http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=226350
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