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Indus Manchar Lake 2010 PDF
Indus Manchar Lake 2010 PDF
The
Manchar
Lake
and
Climate
Change
Syeda
Mahe
Zehra
Spring 2010
The
Manchar
Lake
and
Climate
Change
2
Introduction:
Manchar
Lake
is
situated
west
of
the
Indus
River
in
Sindh,
Pakistan
and
is
Pakistans
biggest
shallow
freshwater
lake
and
one
of
Asias
biggest.
It
is
situated
at
a
distance
of
18km
from
Sehwan
in
the
province
of
Sindh.
The
lake
is
flanked
by
the
Kirthar
hills
in
the
west,
Laki
hills
in
the
south
and
the
River
Indus
in
the
east.
It
is
a
shallow
saucer
shaped
basin
and
the
depth
and
area
of
the
lake
are
variable
depending
on
the
influx
of
water.
Mean
depth
of
the
Lake
is
2.5-3.75m
and
it
covers
an
area
of
233km^2.
It
is
also
a
natural
water
storage
facility
and
a
big
asset
in
the
arid
region
where
it
is
situated.
The
lake
is
fed
by
the
Aral
and
Danister
canals
from
the
River
Indus,
hill
torrents
and
the
MNVD
(Main
Nara
Valley
Drain).
Main
source
of
freshwater
are
the
Aral
Manchar,
Aral
Lakhi
and
Danister
Canals
which
link
the
lake
to
the
River
Indus
and
have
a
combined
capacity
of
1.54
MAF.
The
Manchar
Lake
area
receives
a
mean
annual
rainfall
of
4.43
inches
while
evaporation
is
96
inches.
In
1958
the
lake
completely
dried
up
due
to
extremely
dry
summer
conditions.
In
1995
a
record
flow
of
300,000
cusecs
was
recorded.
The
Manchar
Lake
and
Climate
Change
3
The
Manchar
Lake
is
the
main
source
of
domestic
water
for
the
communities
living
around
the
lake.
The
groundwater
in
this
area
is
not
suitable
for
drinking
as
it
is
highly
saline
and
the
lake
water
is
important
to
people
downstream
as
well,
because
they
use
it
for
irrigation
and
fishery.
As
a
result
of
the
extensive
evaporation
due
to
high
temperatures
and
low
rain
the
increase
in
salts,
heavy
metals
and
other
pollutants
has
led
to
deterioration
of
this
eco-system.
This
deterioration
is
taking
lives
and
60
deaths
were
recorded
for
the
year
2004.
The
once
life
giving
Manchar
Lake
is
now
posing
a
severe
risk
to
the
livelihood,
health
and
lives
of
the
communities
living
in
and
around
the
Manchar
Lake
area.
The
Manchar
Lake
and
Climate
Change
4
Problems:
The
Manchar
Lake,
a
large
water
reservoir
is
(directly
and
indirectly)
responsible
for
the
livelihoods
for
half
a
million
people.
The
water
pollution
has
killed
the
unique
culture
and
exposed
the
population
living
in
that
area
to
poverty
and
health
issues.
The
women
are
specially
affected
as
they
are
now
in
a
situation
where
they
cannot
contribute
to
the
livelihood
of
their
families
as
they
used
to
while
living
on
the
lake.
Their
limited
skills
which
were
sufficient
for
their
way
of
life
in
the
Manchar
area
now
prove
insufficient
in
the
places
they
have
had
to
migrate
to.
As
a
result
of
this
parents
are
getting
their
daughters
married
early.
Malnutrition
can
also
be
observed
in
most
people,
especially
women.
This
leads
to
varied
diseases
like
Hepatitis
C,
skin
and
eye
infections,
TB,
night
blindness
and
infant
and
maternal
mortality.
In
addition
to
all
these
problems
each
family
has
to
now
spend
Rs60-80
($1
=
Rs.
80
approx.)
a
day
to
buy
water.
The
degradation
of
the
ecosystems
of
the
Manchar
Lake
has
been
occurring
for
a
long
time
but
the
effects
have
been
felt
recently.
Due
to
diversion
of
the
water
from
the
Indus
upstream
and
decreased
storm
runoff
from
the
Kirthar
Mountains
there
has
been
a
diminished
fresh
water
supply
and
even
that
has
been
rendered
useless
due
to
the
saline
drainage
water
from
surrounding
fields
finding
its
way
to
the
lake
through
the
Main
Nara
Valley
Drain.
The
main
source
of
fresh
water
for
the
Manchar
Lake
is
the
Indus
which
is
connected
to
the
lake
through
three
link
canals.
The
flows
in
the
Indus
have
been
diverted
upstream
and
so
not
enough
water
flows
into
the
Manchar
Lake.
Data
on
pre-Tarbela
flows
1962-74
showed
that
0.14
MAF
of
water
used
to
flow
into
the
lake
which
has
now
been
curtailed
to
0.08MAF.
The
Indus
is
connected
to
the
Manchar
through
some
old
inundation
canals,
like
the
Aral
Manchar,
Aral
Laki
and
Danister
Canal.
The
MNVD
runs
from
Hamal
Lake
to
Manchar
Lake,
it
was
constructed
in
1932
to
provide
drainage
for
rice
effluent
and
rain
water
and
also
Karachi
plain
flows
which
were
ponded
at
The
Manchar
Lake
and
Climate
Change
5
Hamal
Lake.
The
effluent
comes
from
the
North
Dadu
drainage
project
(Wagan,
K.N.Shah,
Meha
and
Ghar)
and
this
is
the
main
contributor
to
the
salinity.
There
is
also
talk
of
remodeling
the
MNVD
to
enhance
its
capacity
to
accommodate
effluent
from
the
Right
Bank
Outfall
Drain
Project
as
well
which
will
lead
to
further
pollution.
Presently
8000
cusecs
of
drainage
is
disposed
through
the
MNVD
during
the
peak
Kharif
planting
season
with
a
salinity
of
1900
PPM
while
the
numbers
for
the
Rabbi
planting
season
are
500-1000
cusecs
and
2500-5000
PPM.
In
addition
to
the
problems
arising
from
the
dumping
of
the
MNVD
waters
into
the
Manchar
Lake
is
the
issue
of
siltation
and
growth
of
uncontrolled
natural
vegetation
in
Manchar
Lake
have
created
massive
problems
as
it
limits
the
water
holding
capacity
of
the
lake
and
reduces
the
water
supply
to
adjoining
areas.
The
fishermen
are
also
adding
to
the
pollution
problem
by
practicing
harmful
fishing
practices
such
as
using
DDT,
dynamite
and
grain
as
bait
and
motorized
boats
to
increase
their
catch,
not
realizing
that
they
are
infact
part
of
the
reason
that
the
fish
are
dying
out.
Once
the
Manchar
Lake
used
to
sustain
2600
species
of
plants,
animals
and
fish,
the
situation
is
very
different
now.
More
than
70%
of
the
fisher
folk
have
already
migrated
to
other
places
in
Pakistan
and
even
Afghanistan
and
Iran
and
the
Middle
East.
The
catch
of
3000
tons
in
1950
had
dwindled
down
to
less
than
one
hundred
tons.
The
numbers
of
fish
species
in
the
Manchar
Lake
has
also
gone
down
and
14
out
of
200
species
recorded
in
1930
are
already
extinct.
All
popular
and
commercially
valuable
species
are
gone.
Not
only
have
the
fisher
folk
been
deprived
of
their
livelihood,
the
people
buying
fish
from
them
suffer
losses
in
their
business,
and
there
is
less
safe
fish
for
consumption
by
sustenance
fisher
folks
and
community
members.
Additionally,
the
Siberian
migratory
birds
have
also
lost
a
stop
on
their
flight
due
to
their
not
being
enough
fish
in
the
waters
of
Manchar
Lake.
An
ecological
survey
of
Manchar
Lake
was
carried
out
during
1998-1999,
water
samples
were
analyzed:
water
temperature,
light
penetration,
pH,
alkalinity,
conductivity,
salinity,
total
The
Manchar
Lake
and
Climate
Change
6
dissolved
solids,
total
hardness,
phosphates,
chlorides
and
dissolved
oxygen
were
recorded.
The
water
quality
analysis
indicated
salinity
(1.8-3.9
g/L),
pH
(7.4-8.7)
and
hardness
(614-1000
mg/L).
These
parameters
are
towards
the
higher
side
and
these
factors
are
one
of
the
reasons
for
the
decline
in
fish
production.
Around
300,000
acres
of
land
stands
affected
due
to
water
logging
and
salinity.
1,200
tube
wells
in
the
area
are
no
longer
of
any
use.
Traditional
crops
like
rice,
wheat
and
tobacco
have
become
uncultivable
or
uneconomical
.The
lake
bed
was
also
used
for
agriculture.
Traditionally
some
crops
used
to
be
cultivated
on
the
lake
floor
as
the
water
receded
going
from
113
feet
in
Sep
to
106
feet
in
October
exposing
26,000
acres
of
land.
Another
50,000
acres
were
made
cultivable
through
connecting
channels.
In
addition
the
crop
yields
of
downstream
farms
are
also
suffering
as
they
rely
on
the
water
from
the
Manchar
Lake
to
irrigate
their
lands.
The
pollution
and
reduced
water
in
the
Manchar
lake
is
not
only
heralding
the
death
of
a
great
lake
it
is
also
causing
deaths
in
surrounding
areas."
In
mid-May
2004,
Hyderabad
in
Pakistan's
Sindh
province
was
hit
by
a
severe
diarrhea
epidemic.
The
pestilence,
which
lasted
for
two
months,
claimed
38
lives
mostly
children.
An
unpublished
World
Health
Organization
report
cites
contamination
of
Hyderabad's
water's
supply
by
untreated
waters
of
the
Manchar
Lake,
as
one
of
the
causes.
The
lake's
waters
reached
the
city
via
the
Indus
River,
which
was
in
spate.
"As
a
result,'
says
the
report,
"its
heavy
salt
content
could
not
be
adequately
diluted.'
A
fact-
finding
report
of
the
Pakistan's
Human
Rights
Commission
also
blamed
the
lake's
waters
for
the
calamity"
(Shahid
Hussain,
2004:
http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/node/43489)
Add
to
this
host
of
problems
another
variable,
namely
climate
change
and
you
see
the
situation
get
even
more
complicated.
There
is
not
much
information
available
about
the
impact
that
climate
change
might
have
on
the
Manchar
Lake
in
particular
but
we
can
draw
some
conclusions
by
studying
the
facts.
The
Manchar
Lake
and
Climate
Change
7
We
know
that
the
Himalayan
glaciers
are
receding
and
this
will
eventually
lead
to
reduced
water
flows
in
the
river
Indus
and
its
tributaries.
Flows
will
be
reduced
by
as
much
as
50%!
Currently
the
wetlands
of
Pakistan
dont
get
enough
freshwater
from
the
Indus
system
because
there
are
many
other
upstream
uses
that
currently
have
priority
like
agriculture.
What
will
happen
when
the
water
is
halved?
Will
the
debate
of
restoring
the
wetlands
even
have
any
significance
in
the
glaring
reality
of
reduced
water
for
drinking
and
growing
food
for
an
ever-
growing
population?
Another
impact
of
Climate
Change
will
be
change
in
the
monsoon
patterns
and
though
there
will
be
more
rain
it
will
also
be
more
concentrated
increasing
the
risks
of
floods.
We
know
that
part
of
the
water
coming
into
the
Manchar
Lake
is
from
the
hill
torrents
of
the
Kirthar
Mountain
ranges.
In
the
event
of
increased
rain
there
could
be
an
influx
of
water
from
that
quarter.
The
increased
temperature
will
also
increase
the
rate
of
evaporation.
The
Manchar
Lake
is
one
of
many
wetlands
in
Pakistan.
Infact
9.7%
of
the
country
is
covered
in
wetlands.
Pakistan
needs
to
figure
out
what
water
management
practices
it
will
adopt
today
to
ensure
that
it
will
have
water
for
its
wetlands
tomorrow.
Required
Readings:
Life
on
the
Lake
by
F.H.
Mughal
2010
The
Manchar
Lake
and
Climate
Change
8
References:
Mapping
and
Monitoring
Environmental
Degradation
in
Manchar
Lake
and
Environs,
Zamir
Ahmad
Siddiqui
and
Syed
SanaUllah
Shah
Studies
on
Water
Chemistry
and
Fish
Production
of
Manchar
Lake,
Dadu,
Sindh,
Pakistan,
M.A.
Mahar,
S.I.H
Jafri,
S.M.
Laghari
and
M.Y.
Khuhawar,
University
of
Sindh,
Jamshoro
Assesment
of
water
quality
of
polluted
lake
using
multivariate
statistical
techniques:
A
case
study,
T.G.
Kazi,
M.B.
Arain,
M.K.
Jamali,
N.
Jalbani,
H.I.
Afridi,
R.A.
Sarfaraz,
J.A.
Baig,
and
Abdul
Q.
Shah,
Centre
of
Excellence
in
Analytical
Chemistry,
University
of
Sindh
Degradation
of
Manchar
Lake:
A
Case
of
Human
Disaster,
Revised
Investigative
Report,
Impact
on
Women
Health
and
Livelihoods,
Shirkat
Gah
Publications,
Naseer
Memon,Zubaida
Birwani
and
Nizamudin
Nizamani
Experimenting
with
Lives
of
Poor:
Right
Bank
Outfall
Drainage
Project
(RBOD),
Action
Aid
Survey
Report,
Mustafa
Talpur,
August
2004
Total
Dissolved
and
Bioavailable
elements
in
water
and
sediment
samples
and
their
accumulation
in
Oreochromis
Mossambicus
of
polluted
Manchar
Lake,
T.G.
Kazi,
M.B.
Arain,
M.K.
Jamali,
N.
Jalbani,
H.I.
Afridi,
R.A.
and
Abdul
Q.
Shah,
Centre
of
Excellence
in
Analytical
Chemistry,
University
of
SindhImpact
of
Water
Scarcity
on
Wetlands
in
Sindh,
Rahat
Jabeen,
Freshwater
Ecologist,
Wetlands
Conservation
Officer,
WWF-Pakistan
Ecosystems
and
Biodiversity:
Rahimaisa
Abdula
and
Anupam
Joshi
Climate
Change,
Poverty
and
Environmental
Crisis
in
the
disaster
prone
areas
of
Pakistan
OXFAM