MITHI: Tharparkar deputy commissioner has written a letter to senior member of the Board of Revenue requesting the department to declare the district as drought-hit in the wake of erratic and insufficient rainfall this monsoon season.
DC Ghulam Qadir Junejo said in the letter sent to the commissioner on Thursday for onward submission to the senior member that it could be said on the basis of reports submitted by assistant commissioners and mukhtiarkars of all seven talukas that there was little hope of further rainfall.
The grass for the livestock, which had sprouted during the little rainfall, had already dried up, he said.
“All the revenue officials have reported that crops and grass could not mature due to insufficient rains and drought-like conditions in the entire district,” said the letter.
Mr Junejo urged that except five dehs of Kaloi taluka including Bhitaro, Fant Farm, Sehri, Naukot, Wasaepota falling within barrage areas, all the areas of Mithi, Chhachhro, Nagarparkar, Diplo, Dahil and Kaloi talukas be declared drought-hit and relief package be announced for the poor in the arid zone.
The DC said that he had written the letter after receiving directives from his superiors. He was asked to prepare the report after carrying out survey and assessing conditions and submit it to the commissioner, he said.
Qasim Siraj Soomro, PPP MPA from Nagarparkar which has been the worst affected area so far, told this reporter that he had briefed newly elected Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and other PPP leaders on worsening conditions in the desert region in a meeting and they assured him and other elected members of launching a massive relief operation in the desert region.
Mr Soomro reiterated that PPP government would do everything it could to help mitigate sufferings of Tharis in their difficult times and said that wells, major source of water for both humans and livestock, had dried up since long.
He appealed to international organisations to send their teams to help the government in its efforts to provide relief to Thar people.
Seven more infants die in Thar
Seven more infants died of viral infections and complication arising out of malnutrition during two days at Mithi Civil Hospital.
The parents of the ailing children complained to journalists of acute shortage of life-saving drugs in the government-run hospitals of the district.
Health officials who wished not to be named told this reporter that with the deaths of seven more infants the total death toll of children this year had risen to 398.
Health and nutrition experts working in Thar including Shaikh Dr Tanweer Ahmed have demanded the Sindh government step in and launch a massive relief operation to avoid further deaths of malnourished children and provide timely relief to the poverty stricken people.
Drought-stricken families from several areas have started migrating along with their livestock to the barrage areas of Badin, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot and other districts.
Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2018
Dear visitor, the comments section is undergoing an overhaul and will return soon.