Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the desert areas of the Sindh province particularly in Thar District are faced with an extreme drought and government has not yet even issued notification declaring the drought. There has been no rainfall and there has been an acute shortage of ground water in these areas that has led to domestic crop failure, and an outbreak of sheep pox epidemic in small livestock – as a result of the food scarcity. This has forced the population to migrate to other districts and become internally displaced.
Reports have revealed that the provincial government has at present, stocks of over 400,000 bags of wheat rotting in its warehouses held in reserve exclusively for people of the Thar district. However a policy is yet to be evolved with regard to the distribution of this wheat.
This is the third consecutive year that the area has suffered from lack of rain and according to media reports more than 1,000 people have died including 600 children due the scarcity of water.
A study done by HAND, Pakistan states that after the disaster, of the entire population only 28 percent of mothers were able to breast feed their babies.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Photo courtesy: The Nation in Pakistan
The information was provided by Bhandar Sangat, a Sindh based peasant organization.
About 1.3 million people of the Tharparkar District (which is generally called the Thar District) are facing a severe shortage of food and water because of the lack of rainfall. However, the government has not taken any proper measures to provide relief to the people of this area who are suffering from acute hunger and are falling ill due to the spread of diseases – and this has been going on for the past three years.
This year too, the situation remains the same. The people of the Thar District are yet again facing acute shortages of water and food which is directly resulting in the death of many people including children. Further, livestock belonging to these people – and which provides them with their main source income – are also dying together with the destruction of their agriculture produce. Despite the situation, the provincial government of Sindh has still not officially declared the Thar District as a drought hit area by issuing a notification and have not initiated emergency relief services to these people. The federal government has also failed to intervene nor take any steps to declare emergency situation in the Thar District – noting also the fact the Sindh province is ruled by the opposition party.
During the previous two years the government has not declared any drought hit areas which directly resulted in the death of hundreds of people and livestock and saw the displacement of hundreds of families – who were compelled to migrate to different districts. Last year 230 children died because of malnutrition alone; and 296,000 more people were affected by the drought. Although former President, Mr. Zardari made announcement for the distribution of free wheat this has still not been implemented in most areas in the drought hit district.
On 10th March 2014 we reported that during the first quarter of this year, 193 children died of hunger and malnutrition[1].
In two districts, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar, more than 400,000 wheat bags weighing 100 kilograms each are rotting in the government warehouses – but the administration has not even an inclination of distributing them. Government authorities say that only if and once the drought is declared by the government, can they commence the distribution of the wheat to the affected people. Reports from the area have revealed that these authorities as well as government ministers are awaiting the notification of declaration of the drought by the government – and keeping the wheat in stock in order to later sell them for a higher price – and this is what was done in the previous years.
However, reports say that wheat is in fact available in some drought hit areas but at exorbitant prices – compared to wheat which is available cheaper in the urban areas. One kilo of wheat is sold at Rupees 50 from the government stocks but in urban areas the wheat is available in the open market at the rate of Rupees 39 per kilogram.
Further, those who transport the wheat to these areas have also refused to carry the wheat bags due to non-payment of previous dues. They have claimed that the government owes them a sum of Rupees 20 million for transporting the wheat, during last year’s drought.
HANDS Pakistan, in its assessment says that to-date, more than 306,686 people have been adversely affected by the drought and 303,902 livestock too have died.
In the aftermath of this year’s drought, reports have revealed that during this month alone three children have died due to malnutrition and there is a drastic drop in the number of mothers, breast feeding in these areas and are surviving only on goat and camel milk. Water is almost non-existent as the wells have all dried out and the deeper wells containing some amounts of water is unsuitable for neither human nor animal consumption. The report adds that for around 750,000 animals only 11 veterinary doctors are available in the area. There is also a strong need of 200 more veterinary doctors to which the need the government has turned a blind eye.
Moreover, the government has still not worked on the improvement of health facilities. There are at present 134 vacancies for doctors in the Thar District which are vacant but no efforts whatsoever has been made to fill them. Other main health issues in addition to the prevalent general malnutrition and the lack of food is the spread of diarrhea in the drought hit areas; which is at 87 percent, fever and malaria is at 82 percent followed by cough and respiratory tract infections at 79 percent and skin dieses at 41 percent[2].
According to The Express Tribune, there has been mass migration from Mithi, Nagarparkar and Diplo areas and livestock in these areas have been decimated by the drought. Rainfall has failed for the third consecutive year and 80 percent of villages in Thar have yet to receive any rainfall. Officially declaring it a drought means that the government has to provide incentives to the people distributing wheat and fodder at either at subsidized price or free of cost.
The provincial minister of Sindh Mr. Rahimo says that an “official declaration of a drought has always been a complicated issue as there are a lot of technicalities that need to be taken in to account and it is therefore a lengthy process”.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The Thar district has a population of 1.3 million; it consists of an area of 77,000 kilometers. This district is made up of in one of six sub districts, 44 Union councils and 2188 villages. It has only one district health Quarter (DHQ) with 74 beds, three town health quarters, two rural health centers and 31 Basic Heath Units (BHUs).
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the authorities mentioned below demanding immediate intervention followed with an urgent call for taking concrete measures to declare the Tharparkar district as a drought hit district and make all necessary arrangements for the supply of food, water and health facilities to the people. Please urge the authorities to make arrangement for the free distribution of wheat which is rotting in the warehouses in order to avoid more children dying of starvation. Please also urge them to appoint with immediate effect, the 134 doctors and recruit 200 veterinary doctors to save the livestock. The government must draft a national policy to combat droughts without delay.
The AHRC is also writing separate letters to the Chairperson of the Committee on Rights of the Child and UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Food.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ………………..,
———————————————
PAKISTAN: A call to assist the people of Tharparker and surrounding desert areas from the acute drought
Name of victim: People of the Tharparker district, Sindh province
Names of alleged perpetrators: Governments of Sindh and Pakistan
Date of incident: Tharparkar district, Sindh
Place of incident: August 2014
I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the drought situation of Tharparkar district where the government has still not notified it as a drought hit area which is causing death of people, livestock and the malnutrition of the children.
I have received information that the desert areas of the Sindh province particularly in Thar District are faced with an extreme drought and government has not yet even issued notification declaring the drought. There has been no rainfall and there has been an acute shortage of ground water in these areas that has led to domestic crop failure, and an outbreak of sheep pox epidemic in small livestock – as a result of the food scarcity. This has forced the population to migrate to other districts and become internally displaced.
Reports have revealed that the provincial government has at present, stocks of over 400,000 bags of wheat rotting in its warehouses held in reserve exclusively for people of the Thar district. However a policy is yet to be evolved with regard to the distribution of this wheat.
This is the third consecutive year that the area has suffered from lack of rain and according to media reports more than 1,000 people have died including 600 children due the scarcity of water.
A study done by HAND, Pakistan states that after the disaster, of the entire population only 28 percent of mothers were able to breast feed their babies.
About 1.3 million people of the Tharparkar District (which is generally called the Thar District) are facing a severe shortage of food and water because of the lack of rainfall. However, the government has not taken any proper measures to provide relief to the people of this area who are suffering from acute hunger and are falling ill due to the spread of diseases – and this has been going on for the past three years.
This year too, the situation remains the same. The people of the Thar District are yet again facing acute shortages of water and food which is directly resulting in the death of many people including children. Further, livestock belonging to these people – and which provides them with their main source income – are also dying together with the destruction of their agriculture produce. Despite the situation, the provincial government of Sindh has still not officially declared the Thar District as a drought hit area by issuing a notification and have not initiated emergency relief services to these people. The federal government has also failed to intervene nor take any steps to declare emergency situation in the Thar District – noting also the fact the Sindh province is ruled by the opposition party.
During the previous two years the government has not declared any drought hit areas which directly resulted in the death of hundreds of people and livestock and saw the displacement of hundreds of families – who were compelled to migrate to different districts. Last year 230 children died because of malnutrition alone; and 296,000 more people were affected by the drought. Although former President, Mr. Zardari made announcement for the distribution of free wheat this has still not been implemented in most areas in the drought hit district.
On 10th March 2014 we reported that during the first quarter of this year, 193 children died of hunger and malnutrition[3].
In two districts, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar, more than 400,000 wheat bags weighing 100 kilograms each are rotting in the government warehouses – but the administration has not even an inclination of distributing them. Government authorities say that only if and once the drought is declared by the government, can they commence the distribution of the wheat to the affected people. Reports from the area have revealed that these authorities as well as government ministers are awaiting the notification of declaration of the drought by the government – and keeping the wheat in stock in order to later sell them for a higher price – and this is what was done in the previous years.
However, reports say that wheat is in fact available in some drought hit areas but at exorbitant prices – compared to wheat which is available cheaper in the urban areas. One kilo of wheat is sold at Rupees 50 from the government stocks but in urban areas the wheat is available in the open market at the rate of Rupees 39 per kilogram.
Further, those who transport the wheat to these areas have also refused to carry the wheat bags due to non-payment of previous dues. They have claimed that the government owes them a sum of Rupees 20 million for transporting the wheat, during last year’s drought.
HANDS Pakistan, in its assessment says that to-date, more than 306,686 people have been adversely affected by the drought and 303,902 livestock too have died.
In the aftermath of this year’s drought, reports have revealed that during this month alone three children have died due to malnutrition and there is a drastic drop in the number of mothers, breast feeding in these areas and are surviving only on goat and camel milk. Water is almost non-existent as the wells have all dried out and the deeper wells containing some amounts of water is unsuitable for neither human nor animal consumption. The report adds that for around 750,000 animals only 11 veterinary doctors are available in the area. There is also a strong need of 200 more veterinary doctors to which the need the government has turned a blind eye.
Moreover, the government has still not worked on the improvement of health facilities. There are at present 134 vacancies for doctors in the Thar District which are vacant but no efforts whatsoever has been made to fill them. Other main health issues in addition to the prevalent general malnutrition and the lack of food is the spread of diarrhea in the drought hit areas; which is at 87 percent, fever and malaria is at 82 percent followed by cough and respiratory tract infections at 79 percent and skin dieses at 41 percent[4].
According to The Express Tribune, there has been mass migration from Mithi, Nagarparkar and Diplo areas and livestock in these areas have been decimated by the drought. Rainfall has failed for the third consecutive year and 80 percent of villages in Thar have yet to receive any rainfall. Officially declaring it a drought means that the government has to provide incentives to the people distributing wheat and fodder at either at subsidized price or free of cost.
The provincial minister of Sindh Mr. Rahimo says that an “official declaration of a drought has always been a complicated issue as there are a lot of technicalities that need to be taken in to account and it is therefore a lengthy process”.
In view of the above situation of dire emergency, I am hereby urging you to immediately intervene in calling for the government to declare the Tharparkar district as a drought hit district and make all necessary arrangements for the supply of food, water and health facilities to the people.
I also urge you to make arrangements for the free distribution of wheat which is rotting in the warehouses in order to avoid more children dying of starvation.
Please intervene in the immediate appointment of the 134 doctors who are needed and also recruit 200 veterinary doctors to save the livestock for these areas.
I also call upon the government must draft a concrete policy to combat droughts without delay.
Yours sincerely,
……………….
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Mian Nawaz Sharif
Prime Minister
Prime Minister House
Islamabad PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 922 1596
Tel: +92 51 920 6111
E-mail: secretary@cabinet.gov.pk or pspm@pmsectt.gov.pk
2. Federal Minister of Law and Human Rights
Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9204108
Email: contact@molaw.gov.pk
3. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 51 9213452
Email: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk
4. Syed Qaim Ali Shah
Chief Minister Sindh,
Karachi, Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 920 2000
Email: pressecy@cmsindh.gov.pk
5. Mr. Sikandar Hayat Khan Bosan
Federal Minister For National Food Security & Research
Phone : 92-51-9210088
Fax : 92-51-9205912
Address: Ministry of National Food Security & Research,
3rd Floor, B-Block, Pak Secretariat,
Islamabad . PAKISTAN
Email : minister@mnfsr.gov.pk
6. Chief Justice of Sindh High Court
High Court Building
Saddar, Karachi
Sindh Province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 21 9213220
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
[1] , http://www.humanrights.asia/news/hunger-alerts/AHRC-HAG-001-2014/?searchterm=Thar%20drought
[2] HANDS Pakistan
[3] , http://www.humanrights.asia/news/hunger-alerts/AHRC-HAG-001-2014/?searchterm=Thar%20drought
[4] HANDS Pakistan
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
