Attachments
BOARD OF REVENUE, SINDH
GOVERNMENT OF SINDH
MAY 2000
INTRODUCTION
Relief For The Drought Affected People Of The Desert Area Of Thar And Arid Zone Of Kohistan
BASIC FACTS
The Thar region of Sindh is the largest desert area of Sindh with sub-Saharan conditions. It extends from the coastal area of the Runn and Kutch along the southern border with India to Sukkur covering an area of 19000 square kilometers. Kohistan area starts from the north of Karachi and moves along to Balochistan. The total area of this region is about 13,000 square kilometers. The following are some of the basic facts:
- Total population affected directly is 1.30 million
- An additional 0.3 million have moved towards the irrigated areas of Sindh in bad times when water is also scarce
- The entire area is a large pocket of poverty with 95% of the population below the poverty line
- There are 2664 human settlements currently affected by prolonged drought conditions
- Historically, rainfall follows a cyclical pattern. Droughts in the last three decades occurred in 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1993 and 1996.
More basic facts are attached as Annexure "A".
LOSSES
- Losses reported so far includes loss of 127 human lives largely due to natural causes accentuated by malnutrition and related problems. If the nutritional support as well as medical preventive/curative (specially Anti T.B) is not extended fully there is apprehension of speedy increase in the loss of human lives.
- A total of about 30, 000 animals are known to have perished out of an estimated livestock population of 5.0 million. As water and fodder availability continues to decline, livestock fatalities are also, likely to increase.
Relief Measures Already Undertaken By Government of Sindh Which Need To Be Continued
The Government of Sindh started its relief operations in September 1999 to provide emergent relief to the drought affected areas even before it started adversely affecting the people in the Thar region. Immediate measures were taken to strengthen logistics support, provide drinking water and materail supplies and extend the relief cover to a large part of the affceted area. The support already provided includes:
- Declaration of the Thar region as calamity affected area with effect from 27th November, 1999 covering the Thar region (Kohistan and Kaccho regions were also declared as calamity stricken on 26th April 2000.
- Free distribution of wheat and rice was immediately undertaken.
- Clothing, blankets, medicines, and other articles were dispatched to the area and distributed to the affected population.
- Remission of land revenue.
- Postponement of recovery of past years Government dues.
- Distribution of wheat at subsidized rate of Rs.500 per 100 kg (compared to market rate of Rs.1000) on a scale of 20kg per household per month for two months as an interim urgent relief. This wheat was delivered through 197 relief centers established in the Thar region.
- Government of Sindh has also provided Rs. 215 million cash grant for drought affected areas of the province, including Rs. 50 million from "Zakat funds" to cater to the urgent financial needs of drought affectees at the rate of Rs. 1000/-per family.
- A total of 73 medical teams established camps in the region and provided medical aid to about 30,000 people. Anti Tuberculosis drugs to some extent have been provided to the detected cases.
- A pilot project of free Lungar (cooked food) has also been launched and this relief programme is to be extended further keeping in view the results of the project.
- In order to save livestock, 30 teams of veterinary personnel were dispatched to cover the area and provide treatment to protect the livestock wealth of the area, which is the major means of livelihood for the people.
- Free distribution of fodder.
Details at Annexure "B".
In order to alleviate the sufferings of drought affectees, a Full Scale Emergency relief Plan has also been prepared initially for tow months.
The Plan consists of a major thrust to continue and upscale the existing activities and cover the entire affected region. The Emergency Plan therefore, comprises of 5 main components, namely:
- Food supply
- Fodder supply
- Drinking water supply
- Medical cover
- Livestock protection
The costs of full scale operation in the area to provide safety net to the affected people, based on the above components, is estimated at Rs. 1.641 billion for two months.
Summary is at Annexure "C"
LONG TERM PLAN
A three pronged strategy to make the benefits of the plan to flow to the common persons.
- Special programme to provide quality skills to the people, primary health care, rural water supply and sanitation and intensification of an employment generation programme will be launched.
- Infrastructure comprising water supply schemes, a communication system connecting main human settlements and providing for vital links to exploit the mineral resources of the region which includes granite, coal and white clay.
- Income generation on a sustainable basis.
The details of schemes is identified to implement above long term plan is attached as Annexure "D" & "E". The total costs implication of these schemes is as follows:
ROAD SECTOR
Ongoing schemes completion cost (Thar and Umerkot): Rs. 336.835 Million
New schemes (Thar and Umerkot): Rs. 1578.000 Million
New schemes (Dadu and Thatta): Rs. 987.000 Million
Total: Rs. 2901.835 Million
WATER SECTOR
New schemes: Rs. 1095.992 Million
Total: Rs. 1095.992 Million
Grand Total: Rs. 3997.827 Million
Say Rs. 3998.000 Million