KARACHI:In connection with International Day for Disaster Management and Famine, Sindh Environment Minister Ismail Rahoo said Friday that due to climate change and water scarcity, southern Sindh, including Badin, Thatta and Sujawal, is in the grip of famine.
“Due to water scarcity, farmers in Sindh are forced to sell their agricultural lands to the builder mafia for pennies. Due to severe water shortage, rice growing season in Sindh is rapidly approaching to an end. This is why agricultural land is being converted into residential colonies in most parts of Sindh,” he said in a statement.
The environment minister accused the former PTI government of committing a lot of injustice in water distribution with Sindh during Imran Khan’s tenure. Despite having water, Sindh was deprived of its water share. If Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif does not play his role in ensuring equitable distribution of water, Sindh will be engulfed in famine, he added.
Rahoo said that the ground water level in Sindh is declining rapidly, which has also become quite bitter. The vast majority of Pakistan’s population is largely indifferent to the protection of the environment, which necessitates an awareness campaign at the government level. Moreover, mango, cotton, sugarcane and rice crops have been burnt due to lack of water in Sindh.
Rahoo said that due to pollution, the earth’s environment is changing rapidly and water reserves are declining which is leading to drought. Rice cultivation season in Sindh is rapidly approaching to an end. Pakistan earns 2.5 billion dollars annually from rice exports, 80% of which comes from Sindh. He said that not a single acre of rice could be sown in Badin, Thatta, Sujawal and Tando Muhammad Khan including Larkana division due to shortage of water, due to which there was a fear of rice crisis in Sindh province.