KARACHI, June 2: Poverty cannot be reduced in the province without halting and reversing rural decline, said a baseline resource document on various sectors released by the IUCN, the world conservation union, at a ceremony on Thursday. According to the report, reasons for the rural decline include widespread water shortage and deterioration in irrigation systems, reduced agricultural yield, depletion of livestock holdings, intensification of exploitation of the ‘hari’ by landlords, and a worsening law and order situation.

The natural resource management ought to be improved; and there should be the promotion of greater equity regarding the distribution of water, added the report, prepared in collaboration with the Planning and Development Department, government of Sindh.

The IUCN held a ceremony to launch the baseline information and data, coupled with an action plan, titled ‘Sindh - state of environment and development’ at a local hotel. Adviser to the chief minister on Environment and Alternative Energy, Mohammad Noman Saigol was the chief guest.

The report, considered as a compendium of environmental, social and economic information of Sindh, says that in terms of the human development index (HDI) ranking within Pakistan, the urban areas of Sindh have the highest ranking with an HDI of 0.659, greater than that of Pakistan as a whole, while the rural areas of Sindh have an HDI of 0.456, which is the lowest in the country.

More than 11 million men and women in Sindh are unemployed and around 15 million live below the poverty line. The privatisation of public owned enterprises and institutions has contributed to unemployment.

The report mentioned that urbanization in Sindh was a major environmental issue, as 48.9 per cent of the province resided in urban areas. Karachi alone contained 63 per cent of Sindh’s urban population.

A large housing demand-supply gap had resulted in the development of katchi abadis.

The rapid and uncontrolled growth of the city had resulted in unregulated development and inappropriate land-use changes.

More than 50 per cent of Karachi’s population lives in informal settlements, said the report.

Master plans for Karachi and other cities of Sindh had been developed but never implemented or given legal cover. In addition, planning and building control institutions had been ineffectual.

Building by-laws and zoning regulations are violated due to the powerful nexus of politicians, bureaucrats and developers.

Cities and towns do not have space for cargo terminals, transport facilities, small scale manufacturing and warehousing. These have been developed in the inner cities creating immense environmental degradation, inappropriate land-use changes and the demolition of much of Sindh’s built-heritage, which lies within the inner cities, said the report.

It called for developing realistic plans for urban areas of Sindh, including proper mapping of cities with details of their social, physical and environmental conditions, as well as taking into consideration the potential of the existing interest groups and the state of financial constraints.

Sindh’s industrial units, except those concerned with consumer products, have been closing down because of: increase in the cost of production; deteriorating law and order situation; investors having taken advantage of bank loans and preferring to declare their units sick; and discontinuation of previously granted tax holidays, it said.

The absence of a rail-based mass transit system for Karachi and efficient transport facilities also pose immense problems for the commuting public, and is the major cause for stress-related diseases, it was added.

Discussing the coastal and marine ecosystem, the report says that efforts to control the marine pollution in the territorial waters of Sindh can be bolstered through the enforcement of the Sindh Fisheries Ordinance 1980 with necessary amendments to cover agriculture effluents.

Furthermore, provincial laws relating to over-fishing in territorial waters are quite comprehensive, but these regulations need to be seriously enforced including imposition of severe penalties.

The seasonal ban on fishing can only become effective when applied to all commercial fishing crafts without any concessions or exceptions.

It said that the dwindling wildlife resources in Sindh were increasingly exposed to natural calamities and hazards inflicted by humans.

“If protection of wildlife is devolved to the district levels, there may be more public participation, and the chances of wildlife conservation could perhaps be addressed more effectively,” the report mentioned.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Noman Saigol said the compendium was an initiative towards awareness, and was a linkage to the development of Sindh.

He appreciated the IUCN for the work and held that the document was an encouraging sign for all stakeholders including the government of Sindh, as it was prepared by those desirous of getting the environmental conditions changed.

He said water and air were the key sectors, which needed to be addressed on priority basis.

Talking about different measures taken in the environment sector, the adviser pointed out that efforts were being made to ensure that the environmental impact assessment of development projects be taken into account in the case of all government and private projects.

In his welcome address, Abdul Latif Rao, country representative of the IUCN - Pakistan, said the report was a kind of effort aimed at understanding environmental degradation issues and resolving them by formulating and implementing policies for conservation involving all stakeholders including industries and the government.

He said the purpose of developing a comprehensive report on environment and sustainable development in Sindh was to provide information for those wanting to take corrective measures and playing their due role in any sustainable development in the province.

The Additional Chief Secretary (Development) Sindh, Ghulam Sarwar Khero, said the report presented a complete picture of the environment and development, and was a reliable collection of information in all sectors, which would immensely help policy makers.

Among others, Ali Raza Rizvi of the IUCN, Sadiqa Salahuddin of the Indus Resource Centre, Khalid Firoze, president of the KCCI, Syed Hashim Leghari, Sindh Education Secretary, and Nasir Panwar also spoke.