Advocacy Campaign on the Negative Impacts of Mega Projects on Indus Delta
July 1, 2005- June 30, 2007
Funding Partner
:
Actionaid International Pakistan
Project Area
:
Indus Delta, District Thatta and Badin, Sindh Pakistan
Introduction and Background
The coastal communities are the poorest communities in Pakistan and their livelihood resources are under constant threat of depletion. About 90% of the households in the coastal communities rely on fishing and other fisheries related activities. Besides fishing coastal agriculture and livestock rearing are also key livelihoods of the coastal communities. The key cause of the destruction of livelihood resources in Sindh coastal region especially in its two districts i.e. Thatta and Badin is the reduction in Indus River fresh water in the Indus Delta as a result of construction of barrages and dams upstream. Indus flow reduction has resulted in grave degradation of the agriculture, fisheries and forestry resources in the coastal region. Livestock sector has almost completely vanished as the green pastures have been replaced by the salinity, water-logging and seawater intrusion.
However, man-made disasters in the form of mega projects financed by World Bank and other international lending agencies have greatly added to the vulnerabilities and poverty levels of the local communities. For example Left Bank Outfall Drain [LBOD] funded by World Bank and more than 10 other international agencies has been playing havoc with the lives and livelihoods of the coastal communities since last many years as a result of design defects.
Without any community consent or consultation and without any local level planning both World Bank and Asian Development Bank [ADB] are launching two mega projects in the coastal districts of Thatta and Badin. Wrapped in the words of sustainable development, community empowerment etc both the project taking influence from both the agencies’ globalization and trade liberalization agenda, are aimed at widely supporting commercialization of the natural livelihoods in the coastal region.
Besides, the projects are also aimed at financing fish and shrimp culture in the coastal areas on the commercial basis. This is being proposed despite very adverse affects of such commercial shrimp and fish culture financed by the same lending agencies in other developing countries. The commercial basis fish and shrimp culture is likely to degrade land and water resources of the coastal areas hitting hard the biodiversity and the natural resources. Besides these projects, another coastal region of Sindh / Indus delta is facing another grave environmental challenge. Pakistan government first time in the history has recently granted an exploration license over block no. 2367-4 (Indus Delta-A) to the two oil companies, at least one of them being multinational company.
Project Objectives
To organize and mobilize the local communities of Thatta and Badin districts on the threats to their livelihoods as a result of mega projects and off-shore oil exploration in Coastal Sindh
To initiate advocacy process jointly with the local communities on the issues and threats of the World Bank/ADB financed mega projects and off-shore oil exploration, to their natural resources and livelihoods
To initiate strong campaign against the threats to the livelihoods of the local communities from the mega projects and offs-shore oil exploration
To build the capacities of the local communities and network them with the national and international civil society actors to ensure their powerful and strong voice against the threats to their livelihoods
Advocacy Campaign on the Negative Impacts of Mega Projects on Indus Delta
July 1, 2005- June 30, 2007Introduction and Background
The coastal communities are the poorest communities in Pakistan and their livelihood resources are under constant threat of depletion. About 90% of the households in the coastal communities rely on fishing and other fisheries related activities. Besides fishing coastal agriculture and livestock rearing are also key livelihoods of the coastal communities. The key cause of the destruction of livelihood resources in Sindh coastal region especially in its two districts i.e. Thatta and Badin is the reduction in Indus River fresh water in the Indus Delta as a result of construction of barrages and dams upstream. Indus flow reduction has resulted in grave degradation of the agriculture, fisheries and forestry resources in the coastal region. Livestock sector has almost completely vanished as the green pastures have been replaced by the salinity, water-logging and seawater intrusion.
However, man-made disasters in the form of mega projects financed by World Bank and other international lending agencies have greatly added to the vulnerabilities and poverty levels of the local communities. For example Left Bank Outfall Drain [LBOD] funded by World Bank and more than 10 other international agencies has been playing havoc with the lives and livelihoods of the coastal communities since last many years as a result of design defects.
Without any community consent or consultation and without any local level planning both World Bank and Asian Development Bank [ADB] are launching two mega projects in the coastal districts of Thatta and Badin. Wrapped in the words of sustainable development, community empowerment etc both the project taking influence from both the agencies’ globalization and trade liberalization agenda, are aimed at widely supporting commercialization of the natural livelihoods in the coastal region.
Besides, the projects are also aimed at financing fish and shrimp culture in the coastal areas on the commercial basis. This is being proposed despite very adverse affects of such commercial shrimp and fish culture financed by the same lending agencies in other developing countries. The commercial basis fish and shrimp culture is likely to degrade land and water resources of the coastal areas hitting hard the biodiversity and the natural resources. Besides these projects, another coastal region of Sindh / Indus delta is facing another grave environmental challenge. Pakistan government first time in the history has recently granted an exploration license over block no. 2367-4 (Indus Delta-A) to the two oil companies, at least one of them being multinational company.
Project Objectives