Every year hundreds of thousands of people leave their homes in Nagarparkar and travel to the barrages of Sindh in search of water, along with their donkeys and cows. It is the question of survival. Despite having immense water during monsoons, the people here do not find even a drop for the rest of the year.
In Tharparkar, the survival of one million people is directly proportional to the volume of rain water which is used for agriculture and drinking. Local people through traditional methods preserve water which lasts not more than a few months.
For the rest of the period they depend on wells because supply lines provided to Umarkot and Mithi towns fulfil the needs of only a few of the total Tharparkar population.
Nagarparkar, a remote Taluka, is the most neglected area with 1,035,400 acres of land and a population of 204,000 people. Ninety per cent of the population migrates every year to the barrage areas of Sindh.
The people along with their livestock pass a difficult journey of 200km on foot. They often have to bear human and cattle losses. Nagarparkar is surrounded by the 600km long Karoonghar Mountain. Every year in monsoon it receives more than 200mm of rainwater.
The 1,000ft high Karoonghar receives water in millions of cusecs which flows down to the Rann of Kuchh in monsoon. There are no water management projects to conserve the millions of cusecs of water falling into rivers and tributaries.
There are 15 natural rivers carrying rain water from Karoonghar to the Rann of Kachh. Gordaro is the biggest, while Bhityani, Kanpoora, Mao etc., are supplementary rivers.
It is estimated that if Karoonghar rainwater is properly conserved it can provide a sustainable livelihood to the drought-trodden people. India has managed the water of Karoonghar by constructing the Chhoton and Mount Everest dams.
Consequently, on the Indian side mechanized irrigation system agriculture and availability of water have made possible a sustainable livelihood. Construction of Karoonghar Dam is not an expensive exercise. Making of a reservoir, conserving 0.5 million cusics, needs Rs400-500 million.
Along with the Karoonghar there are also some other ideal locations where small dams can be erected with little investment. Veera Wah and Sanghar Lake are viable locations which have natural designs like a bowl.
The management of water in Karoonghar would fulfil the need of drinking water to 85 per cent of the total population. Water management in Nagarparkar is important as this area is naturally a green belt of Tharparkar.
Thousand of acres are already cultivated by using the indigenous methods of water conservation. The Banh Belli, an NGO, had tried to make reservoirs by erecting bunds in Karoonghar.
Consequently, 10sqkm around the reservoir, water level has come up by 10-15ft. It was a useful experience benefiting local people by providing them clean drinking water. It was an experiment which proved successful.
In Nagarparkar for the last few years draught and famine have severely affected the livelihood. Last year more than 4,000 cattle died and huge migration took place in Nangarparkar.
If the ecology and culture of Tharparkar is to integrate then it is necessary to stop the migration of local people. It can only be possible when people would find their land feasible to survive.
Therefore, making of the Karoonghar Dam is necessary. If the dam is not constructed then in future we might not see a man singing in the dunes of desert and cockling of the peacock.