Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
2007) and according to Qureshi (1996) it is not
unusual to find salinities of 40-45 ppt or more
in specific locations in the small peripheral micro-
creeks of the Indus Delta.
In Thatta, a predominantly agricultural District
in Sindh Province which is situated where the
Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea, almost a
third of the land has been affected by salt-water
intrusion. It is estimated that up to 0.5 million
ha of fertile land in District Thatta and adjoining
areas (IRIN, 2001), or about 12% of the total
cultivated area in the entire Province (Government
of Pakistan, 2001), is now affected by salt-water
intrusion. A recent study (WWF - Pakistan, 2009)
comparing changes in the coastline since 1952, the
rate of erosion, and detectable changes in cropping
patterns, shows that average mudflat erosion in
Keti Bunder (a major coastal town) amounts to
20 m per year. In Chann Creek, a major creek
near Keti Bunder severely affected by salt-water
intrusion, erosion rates are as high as 1660 m yr 1
(WWF - Pakistan, 2009) (Figure 6.4).
its municipality once gave a loan to the Karachi
municipality. The area was ideal for the production
of banana, coconut, melon and watermelon (The
Daily Dawn, 2008). Now land degradation in the
Indus Delta has led to loss of crops and severe
damage to livestock through rangeland depletion,
shortage of fodder, pasture and watering areas, and
a resulting mass emigration of livestock and human
populations. Both aggregate crop production and
fish catch declined steadily as salinity increased. A
study conducted in three Talukas (administrative
sub-units below District level) of the Indus delta
including Keti Bunder, Gora Bari and Kharo Chan
showed that 30 000 households in these Talukas
had incurred average annual losses of US $ 70 000 in
crop damage and US $ 45 000 from reduction in fish
catches as a result of salt-water intrusion (IUCN,
2003). On a broader level, other studies showed
that rapidly escalating mangrove loss has seriously
jeopardized the livelihoods of more than 135 000
people who rely on mangrove products to a total
economic value of some US $ 1.8 million per year
for fuel wood and fodder, and a coastal and marine
fisheries sector that generates domestic and export
earnings of almost US $ 125 million (IUCN, 2007).
Loss of livelihoods
More than half a century ago Keti Bunder was
a thriving port city comprising vast agricultural
lands and rich in marine resources. Ships from
as far as Europe used to anchor here. Its main
produce was Sindh ganja (red rice), coal, desi
ghee (butter) and wood; it was so wealthy that
Degradation of mangrove forests
Reductions in freshwater inflows have had tangible
impacts on mangrove ecology (IUCN, 2003) with
eight species declining to four (Plate 9). The
Figure 6.4 Erosion in Chann Creek, Keti Bunder Areas.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search