LAHORE: Speakers in a talk on ‘Manchar Lake Mohannas’ at Thaap threw light on Pakistan’s last surviving boat village on the Manchar Lake on Sunday.

The last surviving boathouse village on the lake near Sehwan in Sindh has been significantly restored in a landmark cultural preservation project. A total of 44 traditional houseboats, known as Galiyo, and the smaller fishing boats known as Hurro have been carefully restored as part of a 20-month initiative led by Prof Dr Anila Naeem, chairperson of Department of Architecture and Planning at the NED University, and Farida Abdul Ghaffar, assistant professor. Currently, around 370 members of the Mohanna community—descendants of two brothers—reside on these traditional Galiyos.

Funded by the UK Government’s Cultural Protection Fund and implemented in partnership with the British Council, the project has also gifted two newly-built Galiyo houseboats—Sohni and Laal—to the Mohanna community. Named after characters from Sindhi folklore, these houseboats will support the launch of “Manchar Lake Mohannas Tours”, a community-led tourism initiative featuring bird watching, cultural games, local cuisine, heritage experiences and other community endeavours.

“A few decades ago, hundreds of houseboats floated in the Indus River from south Punjab to interior Sindh. Today, only a few dozen remain primarily due to pollution, environmental changes, and the devastating impact of the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD),” said Dr Anila Naeem.

She told the audience that due to the funded project, the boats—many of which were previously patched with cement due to lack of resources—have been restored using traditional methods by artisans located across Sindh and southern Punjab. The initiative also provided five new fishing boats, Hurros, to support local livelihoods. Alongside restoration, the project introduced community-focused developments, including a solar-powered RO water plant, eco-friendly toilets and a Mohanna boat school supported by The Citizens Foundation (TCF), entitled Sujag programme, to deliver early education and essential basic skills to children of the Mohanna families.

The Mohannas, often referred to as the “bird people,” have coexisted for generations with the lake’s diverse avian life—majestic pelicans, cranes, egrets, and other migratory birds—maintaining a deep bond with nature.

Dr Anila concluded her talk by highlighting the urgent environmental threat posed by the RBOD, calling for decisive government action to prevent further contamination of the Manchar Lake and protect its ecosystem.

Held at the THAAP office, the event drew prominent figures, including Prof Dr Nizamuddin, Prof Sajida Vandal, Khawar Hassan, Dr Kanwal Khalid, Dr Anjum Altaf, Prof Perin Boga, Dr Anis Siddique, Dr Mamuna iqbal and Dr Fareeh Zafar.

Prof Pervaiz Vandal, in his concluding remarks, emphasized the shared responsibility to protect Pakistan’s indigenous cultures, communities and living traditions.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2025