THATTA, Feb 22: A team of politicians, water experts and journalists, after a three-day study tour of deltaic region in the district, has confirmed wide-spread destruction in the area caused by sea intrusion and called for rehabilitation measures and payment of compensation to the affected people.

According to them, because of non-release of river water downstream Kotri, some 2.2 million acres of fertile land had so far been devoured by sea in the Thatta coastal belt alone and the Indo Nali, Tariro Shakh, Khirani tributary, Sher Khan minor and other channels of sweet water had completely dried up.

The team noted that the release of at least 10 million acres feet river water downstream Kotri was necessary for the survival of the delta but it had not received the required water over the past couple of years. The situation has paved way for invasion of mainland by brackish water of sea.

Members of the tem, including People's Party Parliamentarians MPA Sassui Palijo, district president Masood Mustafa Shah, member of the Sindh Water Committee Nazeer Memon, Pakistan Muslim League leader Haji Siddiq Thaheem and some journalists, shared the findings of their study tour with local journalists at the press club here on Tuesday.

They said that they had visited Bhambhore and Hajamro creeks and the areas of Garhi Pat, Khirani, Karar, Ali Baloch, Gharibabad, Natho Khaskheli, Gono, Karolo, Khatho, Jhangisar, Keti Bundar and Kharo Chhan.

As a result, majority of the inhabitants of the area had migrated and the remaining people were compelled to earn livelihood by catching snakes and other reptiles and selling firewood.

The local people told the team that the drainage network consisting of the Ghorabari Outfall Drain, Tikka drain and Nangan Dhoro, constructed at the cost of million of rupees by the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority under the National Drainage Programme, had proved to be counter productive and disastrous for the deltaic region.

Ms Palijo said that the Indus delta consisting of creeks, muddy land and mangrove forests, that once used to be spread over 6,180 kilometres, had shrunk to 1,192 kilometres.

Quoting official figures, she said that 170,267 acres had so far been lost in Kharo Chhan taluka, 115,474 acres in Keti Bundar, 424,419 acres in Jati, 22,898 acres in Mirpur Sakro, 512,865 acres in Shah Bundar and 32,060 acres in Ghorabari. Out of 1.3 million acres inundated by sea, 1,216,000 acres belonged to the government and 59,000 acres to farmers whereas 89,000 acres were under cultivation.

About 1,850 million square meters of the deltaic region used to be covered with mangroves but, according to a recent satellite survey, the mangrove forest has been reduced to 1000 square meters in a decade and degradation of mangroves is significant in Keti Bandar and Shah Bandar.

The team disclosed that the Pakistan was also hit by tsunami on May 20, 1999, unimaginatively codenamed as tropical cyclone 2A, that submerged 600 coastal villages in Thatta and Badin districts and killed at least 400 people as the sea water gushed into inland up to 10 kilometres.

The team warned that the rulers' negligence towards the issue would result in further disaster in both the tail-end districts of Thatta and Badin and if the river water continued to be barricaded, the situation would worsen with each passing day.

The team appealed the donor agencies for provision of funds for erection of a sea embankment and excavation and streamlining of the riverine network below the Kotri barrage to enable the water flow to reach up to its dropping point in sea without wastage of a drop.

It also proposed a coastal highway from Keti Bandar to Ali Bandar via Shah Bandar to open avenues of coastal development, development of jetties and measures to avert land erosion due to sea intrusion.