MANCHHAR lake is filling up, but for families who live around it, that has brought little relief. Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake receives polluted water from the Main Nara Valley Drain at 2,000 cusecs a day. More Indus water has lowered salinity from about 6,000 to 4,000 TDS, but the lake remains contaminated. For local communities, this means fewer fish to catch, less income to bring home and drinking water that cannot be relied on. Many families that once depended on fishing and other lake-based work are struggling to survive, while dozens of reverse-osmosis plants in settlements are not working. A lake that should sustain the people around it is instead becoming a source of hardship. A higher water level may make Manchhar look healthier from a distance. Up close, the people living beside it know otherwise.

None of this is unknown. Experts have long called for polluted drainage to be diverted away from Manchhar and for the RBOD-II drainage project to be completed so harmful flows can be carried towards the sea. Yet the work has dragged on while the lake has deteriorated and livelihoods have disappeared. The first duty of the state is clear: restore safe drinking-water supplies, repair broken RO plants and provide health support to affected communities. But relief alone is not enough. Sindh and federal authorities need a firm timetable for stopping contaminated inflows and completing the drainage works, with public reporting on water quality and progress. Fisherfolk who have lost their earnings will need support while the lake recovers. Every delay leaves more families with less to live on and fewer reasons to believe official promises. Manchhar can still be restored, but not by allowing pollution to continue and hoping fresh water will hide the damage. The source must be stopped. The people around the lake have already waited far too long.

Published in Dawn, October 7th, 2026