The people of Sindh face an onslaught of natural calamities each year, and each year the story is the same. Countless homes are lost, children die or go missing, livestock is decimated. But alongside natural disasters, man made hazards have brought about a whole new host of problems that have destroyed the entire ecosystem. Dadu district is vulnerable to natural disasters caused by a downhill water stream from Kirthar range, heavy rainfalls, and flooding in the Indus River.

Another persistent source of frequent flooding is the poor maintenance of agricultural drainage systems. A 100-feet wide rupture in the Kalach branch in Garhi Khero, Jacobabad, deluged thousands of acres of fields, destroying rice crops and causing huge financial losses to farmers. Residents complained that the irrigation staff had acted behindhand, adding that a prompt response when the breach was only a few feet wide could have saved their lands. Moreover, the rural population depends on farm economies such as crop growing, livestock and fisheries. The major agricultural crops of Sindh are sugarcane, rice, wheat, bananas, dates, mangoes, cotton etc.

Over the years, locals have only seen an increase in their daily struggle. When they are safe from natural calamities, the manmade hazards come in the way of their prosperity. People are suffocating as there is no one listening to their concerns and miseries. The government has failed to react and respond quickly.

SARFRAZ SOOMRO,

Shikarpur.