Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) has marked a history on Sunday by successfully getting fish production from underground saline water released to Gorano reservoir. The 'fingerlings' released into Gorano have grew to be large enough to catch for eating purpose. In quite an unusual way for Thar, the villagers just received a livelihood opportunity that is to stay there for the years to come. The catch was also cooked and presented to the guests participated in a gathering.
According to the details, the small fish released into Gorano Reservoir a year ago as part of fish 'seeding' has yielded results and the fish has matured for catch and human consumption. In a ceremony held on Saturday at Gorano the fish caught from the reservoir was cooked and presented to the guests who enjoyed the taste of the first full-fledged catch from Tharparkar. The ceremony was attended by the officials of SECMC, EPTL and That Foundation along with community members from different nearby villages.
Addressing the gathering, SECMC chief operating officer Shamsuddin Ahmed Shaikh said, "The success of fish farming in Gorano speaks volumes of our stance that the underground water was in fact useful, and not hazardous as portrayed by some vested interests."
"This," added Shaikh, "coupled with biosaline agriculture are a revolution in the livelihood sector of Tharparkar." Shaikh said that his company had plans for putting the underground water to the best use for the communities of Gorano by raising different fish species as potential livelihood opportunity.
Shaikh told the forum that fish farming experts also visited the reservoir who took fish samples for laboratory tests maintained that the reservoir water was conducive to fish farming on a large scale.
Hafiz Shakeel Ujjan, in charge of SECMC's fish farming initiative, explained, "We had released about 100,000 small fish of different species, as seeds, which have now raised to be large fish. It is noteworthy that the fish raised in Gorano is purely organic as no artificial chemical has been used while its breeding". District Council member Ahmed Shah said that their reservations against Gorano Reservoir have been cleared up now that they have seen successful fish growth in the water.