Geoscience Reference
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area of mangrove forests in the Indus delta fell
from 263 000 ha in 1977 to 160 000 ha in 1990,
106 000 ha in 2003 (World Bank, 2005) and to
around 73 000 ha in 2006 (WWF - Pakistan,
2006). The estimated loss of economic value for
this 72% decline in total mangrove cover in the
Indus Delta is approximately US
the livestock keepers have become wood cutters
and the agriculture community has been largely
converted to the fishing profession with adverse
effects on fisheries resources (Brohi, 2004). Loss
of fisheries and agricultural lands have forced
communities to adopt unsustainable practices
such as using illegal fishing nets and cultivating
betel leaves with an excessive application of
agrochemicals.
616 million in
2010. This figure is based on per-hectare values
for fisheries, carbon sequestration and species
protection derived from a WWF - Pakistan study on
the total economic value of ecosystems dependent
on the Indus River (Dehlavi et al ., 2008). It
may interest policy makers to know that carbon
sequestration makes up 7% of the total loss (or
US $ 44 million), while fisheries makes up almost
90% (or US $ 548 million) and the remaining US $
22 million relates to non-use values placed on
species protection by a representative sample of
Karachiites.
$
Pakistan flood 2010
The extraordinary rainfall that lasted from mid-
July to September 2010 caused unprecedented
floods in Pakistan, regarded as the worst since
1929 (Plate 10). According to the Federal Flood
Commission of Pakistan (World Bank, 2010) the
flood peak at the Kotri Barrage (the last barrage
on the River Indus near the delta) was 27 334 m 3
s 1 , which was more than its design discharge of
24 787 m 3 s 1 . The National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA) has estimated that the floods
affected 78 districts and covered more than 100 000
km 2 . About 20 million people (more than one-
tenth of Pakistan's population) have been affected,
with over 1980 reported deaths and nearly 2946
injured (NDMA, 2010). The floods also destroyed
1.6 million homes, and thousands of acres of
crops and agricultural lands have been damaged
with severe soil erosion in some areas (World
Bank, 2010). A rapid environmental assessment
conducted by the Pakistan Wetlands Programme
in selected areas (Khan et al ., 2010) revealed
that the flood has severely damaged the natural
forests, plantations, trees raised for fuel wood, fish
resources and fisheries development infrastructure,
and has altered wildlife habitat (e.g. for species
such as Indus dolphin and hog deer) and ex-situ
conservation areas.
However, according to WWF - Pakistan (2010),
despite all the damage and destruction left in their
wake (Plate 11) the floods have also breathed
life into the land and increased its fertility.
Groundwater aquifers have been recharged and
many formerly dying lakes and water bodies have
been replenished. The riverine and mangrove
Loss of fisheries resources
According to the Fisherfolk Forum (Qamar, 2009)
annual fish production has declined from 5000 t
in 1951 to just 295 t and the catch of shrimps has
fallen by 47% in the last 10 years. Palla ( Tenualosa
ilisha ) once dominated the fishery of Sindh with
a record catch of 7900 tons (7167 t) in 1959, but
the catches of palla and dangri ( Lates calcarifer )have
declined from 600 tons (544 t) in 1986 to 200 tons
(181 t) in 1995 (Hoekstra et al ., 1997). At present
it constitutes barely 15% of the total catch (WWF -
Pakistan, 2007).
Migration from the deltaic areas
There has been a mass migration from the Indus
Delta and about 300 000 people have migrated
from the deltaic areas to Karachi and Hyderabad as
well as to the nearby town of Gharo (PFF, 2005).
There has been a substantial migration to Karachi
in recent years, where the local people end up
living in the city's vast slums (The Friday Times,
2009).
Change in land-use pattern and
occupations
Livelihood degradation has forced the delta
communities to change their professions. Most of
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