Plight of fishermen

Fishermen communities in Karachi have been ignored by the Sindh government in its budget for the year 2017-18. Not a single development project has been approved for fishing villages and the rural areas of Karachi. The coastal and rural areas of Karachi, stretching over 1,200 kilometres, with an estimated population of 1.5 million, are suffering due to the government’s apathy, as no development projects to mitigate the problems of the area’s people are being carried out.

Most of these villages lack tap water, sanitation and drainage facilities. Water tankers are the only means of catering to the water needs of the people. Most of the villages do not have electricity and jetty facilities, while roads in these areas are in dilapidated conditions. Health facilities are not satisfactory in the areas, leading to the death of hundreds of women and children. It is an anti-fishermen and anti-villagers budget. It seems that the Sindh government presented its budget for developed urban areas only.

Sarfraz Haroon

Karachi