The largest natural lake of Asia, Manchhar Lake, is on the verge of devastation, owing to unchecked release of toxic water into the lake. According to an official report, 40 years back around 2,300 metric tonnes of fish were caught every year, which has now reduced to 100 metric tonnes as poisonous water has badly affected the growth of fish in the lake.
Manchhar Lake, stretched over an area of 233 square Kilometres, is an indigenous pond of water situated in rocky land of union council 2, Bobak, tehsil Sehwan. In the golden period of the lake, it used to have over 52 species of fish, while it was abode of over 100 migratory bird species from Siberia during the winter season. Fishermen's representatives told Business Recorder that decay in the lake started in 1976 when the Federal government started releasing water from Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD) into the lake.
The release of RBOD water, mixed with effluent discharged by factories, raised water level of the lake up to 10 feet, they said, adding the admixing of toxic waste caused serious damage to the fodder of fish of the lake, resulting in sharp decline in the growth of fish.
Fishermen said that at the time when water was being released from the RBOD to Manchhar Lake, it was claimed that the water release would be beneficial for lake, but instead it deprived fishermen of their only source of living.
They said half of the population living around the lake had already migrated, while the rest of the people were also planning to leave the place. They said the major damage took place when water inflow from River Indus to the lake was also halted. Till last year, over 2,500 boats could be seen floating on the surface of the lake water, which also accommodated the families of fishermen, who caught fish, but the number had drastically decreased owing to gradual increase in water level of the lake.
Fishermen strongly criticised the government's decision of introducing contract system on inland water. They attributed the contract system as one of the major reasons for decrease in the number of 2,500 boats to only 200. "It is simply appalling that people living around the largest lake of Asia do not have potable water as the toxins mixed water makes it non-potable," they said, and added that lack of clean water had increased a number of water-borne diseases in the local people.
Fishermen called upon the government to abolish contract system on inland water fishing and take measures to ensure release of only treated water into the lake to save its marine environment. A spokesman of World-wide Wildlife Federation (WWF), when contacted, said that species of birds, which were 100 in the past, had reduced to only four.
It may be pointed out that a drain is being built to release the RBOD water into the Indus River, which requires at least 10 years to be completed. Till then, the RBOD water would continue to be released in Manchhar Lake.
Medical experts said that there were around 0.2 million people of nearby localities, suffering from water-borne diseases due to intake of poisonous water from Manchhar Lake. They urged the authorities concerned to take prompt steps to stop release of toxic waste into the lake water and make it drinkable and bring the old glorious days back, enabling the fishermen to resume their ancestral profession.
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