Write up on Thar
Moniza Inam
The land of the missing river
by Moniza Imam
Thar is associated with drought and misery but historically it has been known for its mysticism and beauty
Folklore has it that Thar was once known as ‘the land of sand, camels, clasps and mystics’. It is also believed that the mighty River Sarswati once flowed through it. But now that it has disappeared, the terrain is called the ‘land of the people whose river has gone missing’.
The rich multifaceted culture of Thar is a blend of Gujarti, Rajasthani and Sindhi heritage, folk legends, and culture which are shared and celebrated by its populace belonging to different religions and castes. In fact, the roots of spiritual tranquillity in Sindhi culture can be traced back to this barren region.
Even now Thar is far more diverse than other parts of the country: despite being one of the poorest of Pakistan’s 120 districts, (it has the lowest Human Development Index), Thar is an oasis of peace and religious harmony where, according to the 1998 census, the demographic balance was 64pc Muslims and 36pc Hindus.
Many artists, poets and writers have been drawn to Thar, including the wandering Sufi poet and philosopher, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, who was inspired by the sheer beauty and culture of the desert and its inhabitants. One of his poems, Raga Marvi, captures what lured so many to Thar at one time:
“Rainfall made desert cool / Cattle grazes ample, / Heart misses kinsfolk, / Longing since last night, / Undo chains of enfeebled, / Please! Make peace, / Rendezvous with compeers; / at meadows, in monsoon.”
(translated by Mushtaq Ali Shah)
Yet reality in Thar is a far cry from the legends and poems it has inspired: its people face crushing poverty, live in cone-shaped huts, drink brackish water and struggle to survive on wild plants and herbs. The majority are cattle herders and subsistence farmers who have little or no resources to afford goods and commodities sold in nearby towns.
Even now Thar is far more diverse than other parts of the country: despite being one of the poorest of Pakistan’s 120 districts, (it has the lowest Human Development Index), Thar is an oasis of peace and religious harmony where, according to the 1998 census, the demographic balance was 64pc Muslims and 36pc Hindus.
“Nearly 80pc people are engaged in animal husbandry and about 20pc in agriculture which is entirely dependent on rains,” says Karim Samejo, the district coordinator working in Hands.
The destitution in Thar has been a subject of extensive media coverage of late; reports of tragic deaths of children — due to malnourishment — and cattle from livestock diseases have filled the airwaves and newspaper headlines. The death toll of cattle has reached 0.4 million, among which 0.35m include sheep, explains Sameejo. The unrelenting drought (which is in its third consecutive year) has further deprived Tharis of sustenance.
Then, of course, there are reports of mass corruption in the local government and the Rs70 billion mega corruption scandal of Reverse Osmosis plants (see Not a drop to drink for more details).
Activists and NGOs have pointed out that the Thar Coal Resettlement Policy 2015, which has forced indigenous people off their land so that coal power plants can be constructed, shall add further strain to already scarce water resources.
Ali Akbar, a development worker affiliated with an NGO, Aware, explains further: “The communities of six villages have been affected due to the excavations. The villagers’ livelihood is connected with land and forests which are compromised now and they are not hired to work on these projects on the pretext of lack of technical skills.”
As widely reported in the national press, the provincial government vehemently denies the issues highlighted in the press and accuses the media of exaggeration while claiming it’s doing all it can to mitigate the suffering of Tharis.
Today, the district’s residents still depend upon rainwater for their sustenance — which is only available during the monsoon season. In addition to affecting their livelihoods, the drought and water scarcity has changed the dynamics of the family structure: many of Thar’s youth now migrate out of the region in search of jobs.
Families have begun sending their young boys to Hyderabad and other towns across Sindh to work as domestic workers — in roadside hotels and workshops in search of new avenues of income as old sources dry up.
“The annual migration of people to the settled ‘barrage’ districts [Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Hyderabad etc.] all over Sindh … usually starts in March or April and they come back after monsoon rains,” says Dr Sono Khangharani, chief executive officer of Hisaar Foundation.
One wonders why, in a province that has an allocated budget of Rs800 billion, 30-40pc of Thar’s population migrate annually, often as far as 800 km from their homes and families.
Deputy commissioner district Tharparkar, Nisar Ahmed Memon, however, denies that large-scale migration is taking place. “Some families migrate annually which has been a very old practice in the region,” adds Memon.
The government can and should do more and one doesn’t have to look far to see that simple and feasible solutions are possible. While similar climatic conditions are also prevalent on the Indian side of the desert, a canal network has been developed to make their desert region more fertile and hospitable.
This 1,649km long Indira Gandhi Canal has ensured that the desert isn’t a wasteland (as it has become on the Pakistani side) but an agriculturally productive area. Other basic facilities — such as electricity — also seem to have been provided by the Indian government.
“If you fly over the desert at night, the Pakistani side will be all dark and the Indian side will be brightly lit as electricity [is available] either [through the] national grid or [the] solar system,” says Shaikh Tanveer Ahmed, chief executive of the NGO Hands.