THATTA, Oct 11: A 12-member team of activists of the People's Party Parliamentarians, led by its district president Syed Masood Mustafa Shah, visited the rain-affected coastal belt of the district on Sunday.
During the visit, it held discussion with representatives of the World Bank and other donor agencies on a long-term protective strategy for the coastline. Mr Shah told this correspondent that during the visit to deltaic region made by boats, they witnessed devastation caused by recent torrential rains and non-release of river water downstream Kotri.
According to him, the PPP team happened to meet a group of representatives of the World Bank and donor agencies in the coastal village of Sajanwari, which had arrived there to witness the post-rain situation.
The PPP leaders apprised the group of details of devastation and misery of residents of the coastal belt of Thatta and Badin districts. The group was told that 170,267 acres of land had so far been claimed by the sea in Kharochhan taluka, 115,474 acres in Keti Bunder taluka, 424,419 acres in Jati taluka, 512,865 acres in Shah Bunder taluka, 32,060 acres in Ghorabari taluka and 22,898 acres in Mirpur Sakro taluka.
According to the PPP team, official data revealed that out of 1.3 million acres of land inundated by seawater, 1.216 million acres had belonged to the government and 59,000 acres to farmers. Out of the total acreage claimed by sea, 89,000 acres were under cultivation.
The PPP team told the visitors' group that the release of at least 10 million nacre feet water downstream Kotri was necessary for survival of Indus delta but it had not received it for a couple of years. The situation had paved way for advancing of seawater into the coastal region, they said.
The WB officials were told that the entire deltaic region used to be covered with mangroves but according to a recent satellite survey, the degradation of mangroves was significant in Keti Bunder and Shah Bunder areas where the mangroves forest had been reduced to 1,000 square metres in a decade.
The PPP delegation appealed to the donor agencies for provision of funds for the erection of a protective embankment in the coastal area and streamlining of water flow downstream Kotri to help it reach sea without wastage of a drop. It also proposed a coastal highway from Keti Bunder to Ali Bunder via Shah Bunder.
