KARACHI: At least 42 highly rare Sindh Ibex, an endangered species, died of a viral disease in the Khirthar National Park (KNP) sometime back, the Sindh Assembly was informed on Tuesday.
The information was provided by wildlife minister Gayanchand Essarani through a written reply during the question hour, which pertained to the Sindh wildlife department (SWD).
The reply said the ibex were infected and died of viral disease Peste Des Petists Ruminants in the KNP.
The reply said the department planned to strengthen precautionary measures to provide initial pathological services for the wild and domestic animals in the Khirthar Protected Areas Complex. It said that if needed, any complicated cases would also be referred to the Central Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Tando Jam and/ or the National Veterinary Laboratory at Islamabad or abroad for detailed investigations.
Responding to a question by Muttahida Qaumi Movement legislator Waqar Shah, who had pointed out a discrepancy in the written data provided by the minister, that during 2015-16 the Sindh wildlife department had registered two cases under the Sindh Wildlife Ordinance 1972, and both were decided by court then, how come one of the cases was still pending as mentioned in the written answer, the minister said that it probably was a typing mistake by assembly staffers.
Speaker Durrani immediately said that the assembly staffers did not commit mistakes and they just typed the data provided to them by the department concerned. He asked the minister to direct his SWD staffers to ensure that they provided correct data and also typed it correctly so that the information provided to the assembly was accurate.
Responding to a question by MQM legislator Mohammad Hussain about the cases by the SWD, the minister said two cases reported in 2015-16 were related to poaching of peacocks and 16 cases in 2014-15 related to illegal hunting and poaching of deer.
Responding to a question by MQM legislator Heer Ismail Soho if the peacocks and deer were openly sold in Nagarparkar, the minister said there were no markets where those animals could be sold openly, but illegal activities did take place sometimes, and the SWD promptly took action against such illegal activities.
MQM legislator Diwanchand Chawla said various wildlife species were being openly sold at the Empress Market in the centre of the city and if the SWD could not check the illegal activities so close to their offices, how it could check such illegal activities in Nagarparkar, hundreds of kilometres from Karachi. Speaker Durrani did not allow Mr Chawla saying that since the question related to Nagarparkar, a supplementary question regarding the Empress Market was unrelated.
Responding to a question by MQM legislator Shiraz Waheed regarding the Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) affecting the Haleji Lake, the minister said the department had objected to the construction of RBOD, which passes near the Haleji Lake and results in stoppage of fresh water supply to the lake.
Responding to a question by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz legislator Sorath Thebo that if any other lake had been affected by the RBOD, the minister said no other lake had been affected.
Answering a question by MQM legislator Sabir Kaimkhani if the Manchhar lake had been affected by the RBOD, the minister said that while the Haleji Lake was a protected area and was SWD property, Manchhar was not. Besides a few migratory birds used to come to Manchhar but now they also did not come there, so no harm was done to Manchhar, which was also not a protected area.
Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2016