KARACHI, June 20: The Sindh government will support the revitalisation of Haleji Lake as a source of freshwater for Karachi if the Sindh Wildlife Department forwards such a proposal to the government.

This was one of the many assertions made by Sindh Chief Secretary Shakil Durrani at a consultative workshop titled ‘Development Strategy Plan for Haleji Lake Wildlife Sanctuary,’ which was organised by the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) at a local hotel here on Wednesday.

Assuring full support of the Sindh government in the revitalisation of Haleji Lake, he asked the SWD to approach the irrigation department and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board who were planning to increase the water supply to Karachi by raising the embankments of Keenjhar Lake.

“If the department comes up with a better option involving Haleji Lake, the Sindh government will support the SWD,” he said.

Admitting the government’s failure in proper enforcement of environmental laws, the chief secretary said that though there had been development in some key sectors and a lot of theoretical work had been done for environmental protection, issues concerning wildlife and nature had largely remained neglected. The consequent situation was grave and should be a cause for concern, he remarked.

“There used to be five to six million birds visiting Pakistan every year. Now their number has reduced to half a million. The situation is worst in Sindh. Thousands of birds used to be killed in a single hunt and, ironically enough, even ordinary birds like the koel and partridges were not spared. Now poaching has reduced, not because the hunters are showing restraint, but because there are few birds left,” he said.

He also asked the department to prepare a baseline study of the Haleji Lake area with the assistance of the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) and International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) on an emergency basis.

“The constraints, if there are any, are not financial but rather in terms of ideas, dedication and commitment,” he said.

He also stressed the need for involving the community in the preservation of biodiversity and sustainable development of the site, which is on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. “Once the community is involved, no one can poach. Locals are the real stakeholders who can protect Haleji Lake,” he said.

Earlier, Dr Fehmida Firdous, Deputy Conservator Wildlife, Hyderabad, briefed the participants of the workshop about the past and present of Haleji Lake. The wetland, she said, used to be a saltwater lake formed by seasonal rainwater collecting in a depression. But in the late 1930s, it was turned into a freshwater reservoir and became a major source of water for Karachi.

“Till 1994, the area was ecologically suitable for aquatic life and vegetation and was an ideal place for birds, mammals and reptiles. Two hundred and twenty bird species were recorded here and the population of birds was 120,000. The place was home to many rare bird species including the black-necked stork, spot-billed ducks and flamingos,” she said.

“Later, the area witnessed drastic changes due to shortages of water. The KWSB declared Haleji Lake a standby reservoir and the supply of water from the Jam branch was hugely curtailed. The minimum requirement of water in the lake is 9,000 million gallons while the existing volume is 5,000MG. Siltation, eutrophication and extreme changes in the chemical composition of water adversely affected the fish stock and the number of migratory birds. The bird population is less than 20,000 now,” she said.

About the solutions, she said the foremost steps needed were the restoration of ample supply of water from the Jam branch; de-weeding and de-siltation of the lake before the wintering season; a baseline study of the lake and the surrounding areas; initiation of research and development projects at the site; dissemination of awareness regarding the importance of the lake and coordination among the various stakeholders.

Dr Najam Khurshid, the only PhD in wetland management in Pakistan and the only South Asian to have served in the Ramsar Secretariat, said three departments — the Water and Power Development Authority, the Sindh Irrigation and Development Authority and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board -- were responsible for the management of Haleji Lake, but there was no coordination among these departments.

“The unique aspect of Haleji Lake is that it used to support all kinds of bird species. More than 4,000 people of 13 surrounding villages are dependent upon this lake for livelihood, which has greatly suffered following the degradation of the habitat and water quality. The fish stock has depleted and the locals are forced to buy even drinking water,” he said.

About the wetlands in Pakistan, he said there were 19 of them, but none of them had any management plan. There was no awareness either about the economic value of these wetlands, which was seven times more than tropical forests.

“There has been no baseline study of Haleji Lake for 30 years and this was the first workshop on the development strategy for the lake,” he added.

The workshop participants questioned the logic behind the plans of raising the embankments of Keenjhar Lake for more supplies to Karachi that, they said, would adversely affect the ecology of the surrounding area. A better option, they said, was to revive Haleji Lake as a source of freshwater. This would not only meet the water requirements of the city but would be of immense economic value once the place was restored to its past glory.

In his welcome address, Forest and Wildlife Department Secretary Mehmood Ahmed Khan said that Sindh had 10 Ramsar sites out of 19 in Pakistan. Haleji Lake was declared a Ramsar site in 1976 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1977. It was still a bird watchers’ paradise where the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, opened an information centre in 1982.

Being a signatory to the conventions on biodiversity and migratory birds, it was mandatory upon the departments concerned to improve the conditions at the lake through a proper supply of water, he said.

IUCN Country Representative Sohail Maqbool Malik and WWF Deputy Director-General Dr Ghulam Akbar assured full support to the SWD for the lake’s regeneration.