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Project Summary:
During the British rule, the coastal region of Sindh State,
in southern Pakistan was a fertile area. But with the construction
of many dams and weirs on the Indus river and the enlargement
of the irrigation drainage basin, the water flow of the Indus
river has drastically decreased. As a result, intrusion of
seawater occurs at the estuary delta area, thus expanding
the deterioration of the farmlands. In the recent years, the
residents of this area have become the poorest in Pakistan.
Presently, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is in the midst
of planning the Sindh Coastal and Community Development Project
in Southern Pakistan with the aim of poverty reduction by
way of reforming the fishing industry environment and the
recovery of the ecosystem. The project will consist of the
establishment of a fisheries management plan, mangrove afforestation
of an area of 300kms, the broadening of alternative revenue
sources, investigation of marine ecology, the conclusion of
fisheries agreement, providing the service of fishing industry
sales network etc. . In December 2005, a consultant company
from New Zealand (ANZDEC) prepared an intermediate report
of the feasibility study. The ADB’s Japan Special Fund (JSF)
contributed US$ 65,000 for it in the form of technical assistance.
This was executed by the Planning and Development Department
(P&D).
Obstacles:
The fishing industry in that area has a yield which runs
out in just about 4 months (march-June), and the people migrate
to other place for work for the rest of the year. Also, the
earnings are very low as most of the fishermen use boats borrowed
from their owners and the fish caught by them are bought at
the asked price. Therefore, there is a concern that even if
the fishing industry is serviced with this project but still
this poverty measure will yield very low result.
Course of action:
Since it is imperative to increase the level of the Indus
river for the revival of the agriculture industry, so we at
JACSES are seeking the inclusion of the revival of the agriculture
industry in the project and the change of the management plan
for the river altogether. For this purpose we are conducting
field investigation and advocacy activities.
Contact Person: Yuki
Tanabe
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