One of Pakistan’s largest freshwater lakes is now heavily polluted

In the last 10 years, Hamal Lake, one of Pakistan’s largest freshwater lakes, has become heavily polluted due to the Qambar Shahdadkot District in Sindh dumping its sewerage and garbage in the water.

For the over 300 homes located on the banks of the Hamal Lake, the water is their life line for fishing, hunting, bathing and drinking.

But the contamination of the river over the years has affected both the quality of the water and its ecosystem.

“Today, there is barely any fish to sell,” said Dhayani, an old woman, “There is not enough fish to even eat.”

Hunger and poverty has forced the residents of the areas to continue fishing in the Lake.

The woman added that the children in the area cry due to hunger. “We tell them everything will be okay. But we are not sure if it will.”  

“We are now compelled to even drink polluted water,” Naseeba Mallah, a 45-year-old resident told Geo.tv, “Most of us are falling sick. Others are migrating to earn a living elsewhere in the district.”

The Hamal Lake stretches over 25 kilometers and is 10 kilometers wide. A decade ago, it was a nursery of fresh water fishes, such as carps, catfish, tilapia, lake herring, bluegill, and white minnow. It was also a habitat for migratory birds such as ducks, geese, and flamingos.

While there were once boundaries, marked territories, there are none now. Today, all the fishermen fish in the same patch of water and brawls are common, as for the fisherman of Sindh’s Hamal Lake, the fight is for survival.

Back in the day, a local landlord in the Qambar Shahdadkot District had marked out areas for the fishermen to work in, to prevent conflict. But those boundary lines have dissolved over time.

“Fights are now routine,” Naseeba said, “These days, we hardly earn enough to meet our needs.”

Tunio is a freelance journalist based in Sindh. He tweets @rehmattunio

Photos: Courtesy the author