THATTA, March 25 It is imperative to create alternative sources of income for the communities living around the Keenjhar Lake to reduce their dependence on the lake. This was said by Thatta DCO Manzoor Ahmed Shaikh at a consultative workshop for endorsement of alternative livelihood plan for the communities here on Wednesday. The plan has been developed by the Indus for All Programme of the World Wildlife Fund, Pakistan chapter.

The DCO said that lake was looked after by different agencies and conditions at the lake could be improved with better coordination,.

He said that depletion of natural resources was taking place at fast pace, leaving few opportunities of livelihood for local communities. The DCO assured the participants of the Thartta district government's support for implementation of the livelihood plan.Programme Coordinator, Indus for All Programme, Nasir Ali Panhwar, said that Keenjhar Lake was a vital wetland area of great ecological, biological, hydrological and economic significance and one of the priority areas of the programme.

Sharing findings of a socio-economic survey conducted in the villages surrounding the lake, he said that more than half (52 per cent) of households earned their livelihood through fishing. Daily wage labourers engaged in different types of work, including construction, were about 11 per cent. About eight per cent were engaged in stone mining and three per cent in agriculture.

About two-third (67 per cent) of respondents were of the opinion that due to decline in fishing, their income had been reduced to the tune of 38 per cent.

Mr Panhwar said that the alternative livelihood plan was aimed at improving economic status of the communities either through improving management of existing sources of livelihood or providing alternatives and identifying and prioritising communities for the implementation of designed interventions.

The resource person of the programme, Badrunnisa Tunio, said that the livelihood plan was related to four sectors agriculture, livestock, fisheries and women. She said that the plan had been developed through consultation with the communities.