Karachi The sugar mills in Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan and Mirpurkhas districts are releasing their effluent into the Nareri Lake, damaging not just its ecosystem, but also the livelihood of the communities residing in 350 villages in the surrounding areas of the freshwater body. The Nareri Lake, located in Badin district, is a Ramsar Site (included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance). Untreated industrial waste from around 17 sugar mills is being dumped into the lake through two major surface drains. A visit to the villages located on both sides of the Phuleli-Guni Outfall Drain, locally known as Amir Shah Drain, and those within three kilometres of its vicinity revealed that the residents were suffering from various diseases caused by the industrial waste. They included asthma, skin ailments, eye infection, stomach diseases and alteration in skin colour. Mohammad Rafiq Memon, the president of the People’s Labour Bureau District Badin (a wing of the Pakistan People’s Party), whose village is located close to the drain, said the residents had conveyed to all legislators of the ruling party in written that the poisonous water of the drain was killing their cattle. “In my village, Mitho Memon, around 180 families out of a total of 250 have migrated to other areas, because of the stench emitting from the drain, the death of animals and the spread of diseases.” Memon said a few years back, the drain was surrounded by vegetation providing feather reed to the area’s skilled mat weavers. “But ever since the industrial waste started flowing in the drain, their livelihoods have been affected.” The residents told The News that the pollution had forced farmers, who harvested paddy and vegetables on the embankments of the drain, to shift to other areas. As there is no bridge at some points of the drain, residents have to step into its poisonous water to cross it and end up infected with skin diseases. It was observed that hand pumps had been installed along the Phuleli-Guni Outfall Drain strip at the points where the water was unsuitable for drinking. Study findings A study focusing on the effects of the Ansari Sugar Mills – the potential environmental, health, and economic consequences of the excessive pollution load on human health and biodiversity – revealed that the liquid and gaseous effluent produced by the sugar industry had adverse impacts on the ecosystem. The study was conducted by the Strengthening Participatory Organisation in collaboration with the Development and Management Network - a network of 58 local organisations. The report disclosed that nearly all stages of sugar production at the mills - process house, boiler house, cooling pond and distillery (including mills that also produce industrial alcohol from molasses) – were water-intensive, discharging waste water containing high levels of oil, suspended soils, organic matter and chemicals. The sugar industry is considered as one of the best organised industrial sectors in the country. It directly and indirectly employs over 10 million people. Presently, there are 77 sugar mills in the country, of which 38 are in Punjab, 32 in Sindh, six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Of the 32 sugar mills in Sindh’s various districts, 28 are currently operational, harming the environment by dumping tonnes of untreated industrial waste into the nearby water bodies. Ghulam Rasool Shah, whose land is located on an embankment of the drain, said farmers were no longer interested in working on his property.” The foul smell emanating from the drain makes it difficult to breathe.” Limitations Although the national and provincial regulatory agencies have broad legislative authority at their disposal, the implementation of environmental standards has been sketchy due to a number of limitations, including the extensive technical and financial resources required to set up a monitoring and enforcement system.
A lake dying With the sea level rising, the Nareri Lake now comes under the coastal area. Before the industrial waste adversely affected its ecosystem, the lake attracted flocks of waterfowl every year. Ecologists say the British government had build scenic ponds within the water body for birds. They were destroyed by a cyclone in 1999. The ecologists blame the government’s apathy for the destruction of the lake’s ecosystem. The water body was a source of income for 15,000 people residing in around 45 villages around it, mostly herdsmen and fishermen. Environmentalists say the rising sea level and the stoppage of water flow into the lake are responsible for the water body’s present state. There is no exact data about the status of flora and fauna in and around the lake. A survey of migratory birds conducted between 1972 and 1990 showed that during one winter season, the lake had received 114,700 birds. The area’s fishermen said following the destruction of the lake, they had shifted close to the coastal area called Sada Bahar.
