The City District Government Karachi has failed to come up to the expectations of the people living in hundreds of coastal villages as nothing has been done for them despite making tall claims since local government system's inception 3 years back.
"The coastal areas are still devoid of even basic facilities of potable water and health care etc, with the result that they are suffering from various waterborne diseases", the speakers said at a seminar on Sunday at Mubarak village located at the far end of Karachi limits bordering Balochistan.
The seminar was organised by Peoples Doctors Forum (PDF) in collaboration with Pakistan Fisherfolk forum (PFF) and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in connection with "Ocean year 2004" declared by UN.
The PDF also organised a medical camp in the remote village where around 175 patients were given free treatment and medicines.
Addressing the seminar PFF chairman Mohammad Ali shah said that the people living in coastal areas were devoid of potable water, health facilities, education, public transport etc.
"Since there is no maternity home at any village, the pregnant women have to die here, even they cannot be rushed to any nearest city area maternity home because there was dearth of public transport", he said adding that there was only one bus that operates between Mubarak village and the city.
PDF chairman, Dr Karim Khuwaja, Hoti Khan Jamali of WWF, Sikandar Brohi of SZABIST, Dr Shafi Patoli and others also spoke.
They highlighted the disaster caused by no discharge of river water in the sea that had resulted in elimination of mangrove forests, extinction of various species of fish etc.
The discharge of thousands tons of poisonous industrial influent daily into the sea has also affected the livelihood of fishermen, they added.
A resident of this village told the participants that there were 104 villages in Kabupat union council but there exist no school in any of the village.
The seminar adopted a resolution demanding provision of basic facilities to coastal people, rejecting deep sea fishing licences, imposing ban on wire-net, imposing ban on fishing during June and July with payment of compensation of Rs 3000 per month to each of the fisherman besides ban on discharging poisonous influent into the sea.
Former MPA Lal Bux Bhutto, Jumman Darwan Nazim UC Baloch Goth, PPP leader Iftikhar Kazi and others also attended the seminar.
Comments
Comments are closed.