Keenjhar Lake ecosystem based on rich bio-diversity habitat for about 48 species of fish and migratory birds coming from Siberia and Central Asia is facing rising oil pollution as trucks, tractors and construction vehicles are practically parked in the lake, leaking diesel into the water.
WorldWide Fund for Nature (WWF) Pakistan sources said, "almost whole of Karachi uses water from Keenjhar Lake. It is not just the diesel that is polluting the water of the lake but industrial effluents and domestic sewage are being poured into the lake from the main Kalri Baghar canal that feeds it", adding that the Kalri Baghar canal carrying effluents from Kotri eventually lands up in Keenjhar Lake.
The Lake gets around 10000 to 15000 visitors every weekend. A large number of them swim in the shallow water. The lake is huge, about 32 km long and spread over 130 square km. The water near the shore is has become cloudy grey and contains diesel smell, they said.
As for the trucks, well, there is no one to stop them so the drivers just come all the way into the water. The local fishermen around 40000 of them live around the lake (on its shores in clusters of small villages) are suffering from diseases drinking the polluted water.
In each community, more than half of the population has some sort of water-borne diseases, sources said. "A large number of visitors to the lake are migratory birds from as far as Siberia and Central Asia who enter Pakistan through the Indus valley. The most abundant and regular visitors are the ducks, waders or shore birds, and the gulls and terns", the WWF official said.
There are two types of migrants including local migrants from within the region and true migrants from the northern region. The true migrants come during the winter months. Unfortunately, many are hunted by the local people, they said, adding the threatened and rare species are the Ferruginous Duck, Dalmatian Pelican, Black bellied Tern, Black headed Ibis, White Stork and Cotton Teal.
The lake supports as many as 400 species of birds including herons, egrets, cormorants, flamingos, tufted ducks, coots, moorhens and jacanas. The lake is also famous for its extensive reed beds, typha grass and the lotus flowers, which grow on its bank.
"Keenjhar Lake provides a rich habitat for a variety of fish and so far 48 species have been spotted in the lake. Amongst them are Pallo, Sole, Dahi, Rohu and Khago. Fishing has been the main source of livelihood for the local communities". They said, however, there has been a decline in fish production in the lake due to diversion of freshwater to a bypass canal during monsoon season when juvenile fish are abundant. Due to unsustainable exploitation and pollution, only around 40 percent of the people living in the surrounding areas are engaged in fishing.
Keenjhar Lake has a remarkable cultural status in Sindhi Literature because of the legendary romance of Noori and Jam Tamachi. According to WWF-Pakistan survey, 26 animals of nine mammal species, 17 reptiles and amphibian species, 98 resident bird species and 263 plant species have been recorded in this area.
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