Comment by Riaz Haq on July 31, 2022 at 10:47pm

#Monsoon rains in #Tharparkar in #Sindh, #Pakistan have created vast green pastures to help the local #economy that depends on livestock. Water ponds in the desert are filled to capacity, bringing a sigh a relief for the #drought-stricken population https://www.brecorder.com/news/40188619/2nd-half-of-monsoon-season-...

The second half of the monsoon season is likely to fetch less rains compared with the first half, said sources from Pakistan Meteorological Department.

The monsoon season starts from early July and continues until 15th of September in Pakistan every year. The PMD sources said about five to six hundred times more rains have been witnessed during the last 26 days, and there was virtually everyday rain in the country since July.

They said the ongoing spell of heavy rains is likely to continue until the first week of August, followed by a long interval in rains any further. However, they added in the same breath, the actual forecast would be issued by early August.

It may be noted that the areas within the country known for less rains have received heavy spells during the current monsoon season. Right from the South of Punjab to the upper Sindh, there was heavy rain for almost the whole of the month.

The PMD sources said heavy rains have wreaked havoc with the date orchards in Sindh as the crop was at the ripening stage and the farmers found themselves into a troublesome situation so far storage of the crop is concerned.

Traditionally, they said, the province of Sindh used to receive monsoon rains during the later part of the season, which got reversed this year and thus causing damage to the date crop. They said farmers in Sindh were busy in drying up dates nowadays before dispatching them to market.

However, rains are proved healthier to the rest of the seasonal crops including cotton, maize, rice, and sugarcane in the country. Also, they said sufficient rains in Tharparkar have led to mushroom growth of green pastures in the area, beneficial to the local economy. Besides, the water ponds are covered up to their storage capacity in the deserted areas, brining a sigh a relief to the local population.

According to the sources, the cotton crop has also faced less damage due to the fact that most of the plants were yet at the maturity stage. Chances of damage were high in case rains approach to the cotton growing areas in the second half of the season.

However, they feared various leaf relating diseases due to the high level of moisture in the air ahead. Same is true for the rice crop that was facing huge damage over the past few years due to traditional heavy rains during the second half of the monsoon season. So far as Balochistan is concerned, the sources said small dams have been overflowed due to heavy downpours, causing damage to the localities due to flashfloods.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 8, 2022 at 9:00pm

Pakistan’s Thar desert lignite coal boom gathers pace with SECMC mine hitting 10 Mt & SSRL mine starting up

https://im-mining.com/2021/12/31/pakistans-thar-desert-lignite-coal...

On December 17, 2021, Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) announced that it had successfully achieved the 10 Mt of coal production milestone. SECMC, one of the largest public-private partnerships in the energy sector in Pakistan, commenced commercial operations in July 2019 with an annual production capacity of 3.8 Mt. Over the past 2.5 years, SECMC has begun to transform the energy landscape of Pakistan by facilitating production of electricity using indigenous coal reserves. The coal feeds a 660MW coal fired power plant and the overall project is classed as a is classed as a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) priority implementation project.

SECMC is one of two main lignite coal mining operators in the country, and is located in in Block II of the Tharparkar (Thar) area in Sindh province of Pakistan. It is a joint venture between the Government of Sindh (GoS), Engro Energy Ltd (formerly Engro Powergen Limited) and its partners namely Thal Ltd (House of Habib), Habib Bank Ltd (HBL), Hub Power Company (HUBCO); and China Machinery Engineering Corporation (CMEC). The world class Huolinhe Open Pit Coal Mine in Inner Mongolia, China, a subsidiary of China’s State Power Investment Corporation, has also joined the SECMC board as strategic investor with preference shares’ subscription.

The other main mine in the country which is just going into production is operated by Sino Sindh Resources Ltd (SSRL) which is located in Block I of the same Thar region; it is also a CPEC project and is owned by Chinese group Shanghai Electric Power Company Ltd. It comprises a 7.8 Mt/y open-pit coal mine and installation of a 1,320MW coal-fired power plant (2 x 660MW). Mining work was set to be completed by end 2021 and the first unit of the power plant is due to start working from 2022 while the entire project is scheduled to be completed by 2023. SSRL has a large mining fleet comprised of 55 t MT86D Chinese wide body trucks from LGMG to be loaded by 28 Liebherr R 9100B hydraulic mining excavators, the largest single mine fleet of this model in the world.

The SECMC mine uses a large fleet of 130 Chinese 60 t TONLY TL875 wide body trucks for coal haulage which are loaded by 18 hydraulic excavators, mainly Komatsu PC1250 units. The record production has resulted in the generation of over 10,000 GwHs of electricity, contributing to the national grid. Besides, the company’s record production of coal and generation of electricity using Thar’s local reserves has benefitted the national economy by saving $210 million through import substitution during the same period.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 8, 2022 at 9:01pm

Pakistan’s Thar desert lignite coal boom gathers pace with SECMC mine hitting 10 Mt & SSRL mine starting up

https://im-mining.com/2021/12/31/pakistans-thar-desert-lignite-coal...

During the course of operations, SECMC has maintained a good safety record following international and world-class benchmarks – a feat that has earned international acknowledgements from organisations such as the British Safety Council. SECMC has also adopted the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) framework to deploy high-impact interventions prioritising education, health, economic growth and women empowerment amongst other areas.

SECMC has also contributed to uplifting the local community by generating employment opportunities for the local population and creating other economic avenues for the community. It is pertinent to mention that 80% of the employees in SECMC are locals from Sindh where the project has provided significant socio-economic benefit to the local Thari population.

“The 10 Mt coal production mark is a commendable achievement considering the constant fluctuation and vulnerability in international coal prices,” said Chief Executive Officer SECMC – Amir Iqbal. He added that Thar coal is the best resource to help the national economy in terms of easing out the pressure on the Current Account Deficit and also indigenise the current energy mix which is heavily reliant on imported fuels. Currently, the second phase of the SECMC mine is already under development which will increase SECMC’s production to 7.6 Mt per annum with a cumulative power generation of 1,320MW.

Talking about the subsequent phase III expansion project, Iqbal said that the estimated investment for phase III expansion is to be approximately $100 million which will enable Thar Block-II to achieve a sustainable supply of 12.2 Mt of coal annually over the next 30 years. SECMC is expected to complete this expansion by June 2023 and with this expansion coal price of SECMC mine is to be reduced to under $30/t – making it the cheapest fuel source in the country ensuring economic stability and energy security for the country. In addition, phase III expansion will also enable Pakistan to save $420 million per annum on the account of import substitution whilst also leading to a reduction of PKR74 billion in circular debt on an annual basis.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 9, 2022 at 11:30am

MITHI: As many as 70 goats perished when lightning struck them in a village near Islamkot town during heavy rain that battered several parts of Tharparkar on Friday, though it redoubled joys of Tharis, whose very survival was dependent on rain.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1703753/third-spell-of-rain-lashes-lower-...


HYDERABAD: The new spell of rainfall forecasted to begin for the day began lashing lower Sindh late on Saturday night and continued for quite some time in Tharparkar, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Badin, Thatta, Tando Mohammad Khan, Matiari and Tando Allahyar districts. Luckily, no loss of life was reported from any part of the province.

Rain started at around 9pm and continued for over 45 minutes in Hyderabad, Matiari and Tando Allahyar district, hub of sugar cane production in Sindh, where it would benefit cane crop but it might prove detrimental to cotton that was sensitive to rain.

Rain in the catchment area of Darawat Dam in Jamshoro district increased the dam’s level by 0.5 meter, raising it from 112.70 meter to 112.75 meter. The dam had achieved its maximum storage level due to heavy rainfall when its spillways started operating for the first time since the reservoirs’ completion a few days back.

12mm of rainfall was recorded in Hyderabad city’s meteorological office and 9mm at the airport office. After 45 minutes of rain another spell visited the city at around 12am which continued or around 20 minutes. Since July 14 to 25, a total of 308mm of rain had been recorded at Met city office and 246mm from July 4 to 25 at Met airport office.

Meanwhile, Sukkur barrage reached medium flood level at 6pm on Aug 6 with downstream discharge at 350,045 cusecs and upstream discharge at 381,015 cusecs. On Aug 7, Sukkur barrage downstream discharge remained 350,080 cusecs and upstream at 384,560 cusecs, according to officials.

Guddu barrage was now having low flood with 370,836 cusecs at its upstream and 343,990 cusecs discharge at 6pm on Saturday. Kotri barrage was having normal flows with its upstream discharge recorded at 196,855 cusecs and downstream at 187,780 cusecs at 6pm the same day. Flows have lately dropped in the river system at all barrages in Punjab.

Growers’ bodies are demanding waiver in recovery of taxes and loans from farmers in rain-hit areas in the province where widespread damage to crops was reported during the first spell of rain in July when 85pc date crop in Khairpur was washed away.

MITHI: As many as 70 goats perished when lightning struck them in a village near Islamkot town during heavy rain that battered several parts of Tharparkar on Friday, though it redoubled joys of Tharis, whose very survival was dependent on rain.

The rainfall in hilly areas of Nagarparkar was recorded at 45mm. It had started raining in Mithi, Chhachhro, Islamot, Dahli talukas late on Thursday night and continued on Friday.

The weather websites including Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast more intermittent heavy rainfall in Tharparkar and other parts of the province till Aug 15.

Comment by Riaz Haq on November 18, 2022 at 7:16am

Are critically endangered Great Indian Bustards now migrating to Pakistan?
Environmental activists suggest the birds, one of India’s most critically endangered species, may have migrated due to their shrinking habitat in Desert National Park

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/are-critic...

The recent sighting of three Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) deep in Pakistan’s Cholistan desert has given rise to speculation that the endangered birds might have flown across the international border from India’s Desert National Park (DNP). GIBs are critically endangered in Pakistan because of lack of protection and rampant hunting.

An Islamabad-based wildlife photographer, Syed Rizwan Mehboob, released pictures and a video of the GIBs after spotting them in southern Punjab province’s Cholistan game reserve earlier this month. Though Mr. Mehboob did not claim that the GIBs had arrived from India, environmental activists in Jaisalmer district have postulated that the birds might have migrated due to their shrinking habitat.

The conservationist, who had attended the Second International Symposium on Bustards in Peshawar in 1983, said it would be ideal for India and Pakistan to collaborate on conservation of GIBs by developing a protocol through diplomatic channels. Pakistan could be given a demonstrative example of India’s ex situ breeding project for GIBs in the DNP and encouraged to invite experts from UAE. “Cambridge-based BirdLife International can also be invited by the Indian government to take the lead and set examples in Pakistan,” Mr. Vardhan said.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 7, 2022 at 6:02pm

Kitchen garden in a desert | WaterAid Pakistan

https://www.wateraid.org/pk/stories/kitchen-garden-in-a-desert

Tharparkar is the 18th largest desert in the world and is considered to be the only fertile desert. However, the limited period of rainfall in the area results in a shortage of water even for the basic needs. Hence, the inhabitants are not able to fully benefit of the fertility of the land. But the fertility has increased the beauty of the desert with naturally grown trees. The area becomes mesmerising in the rainy season that it attracts tourists mostly from the Sindh province and some from other provinces as well.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 7, 2022 at 6:03pm

HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144

The main recommendation of the 1987 report on drought and famine conditions in Thar, prepared by the author, was that the changes taking place in Thar could only be consolidated through increased mobility and linkages of Thar with the rest of Pakistan in general and Karachi and Hyderabad in particular.

It was felt that, if a road-building programme did not take place, the inequities in Thari society would increase, since those who could hire or possess four-wheel drives would be the main beneficiaries of Thar’s huge mineral and livestock potential.

For mobility and linkages to happen, a road-building programme had been recommended, which envisaged linking the four Thar taluka headquarters with one another and with the national road network. However, it was not till the Musharraf era (2000-08) that a road-building programme commenced.

The roads have made transportation cheaper and easier. The old six-wheeler kekra [World War II era American truck], which was slow and consumed enormous amounts of energy plying on the desert tracks, has been replaced by normal Bedford trucks, which are cheaper to run and can carry 250 maunds as opposed to 150 maunds carried by the kekras.

It is claimed by the transporters that, earlier, it used to take three hours from Mithi to Naukot, but now this has been reduced to one hour. They also claim that the cost of petrol/diesel and maintenance of vehicles have been reduced by 20 per cent.

With the building of the road network, trade and commerce has increased substantially. Thar’s agricultural produce now goes to distant markets — six to seven lorries per day carry onions from Nagarparkar to Lahore, and vegetables and fruit from other areas of Sindh and Punjab are now easily available in Thar.

Unlike the situation that prevailed 15 years ago, there are cattle markets in the taluka headquarters, so the Tharis do not have to make the long trek on foot to Juddo to sell their animals. Shops carrying industrially produced household food have multiplied and sell items such as baby diapers, something quite unimaginable before. Every hour an air-conditioned bus, complete with TV and Wi-Fi (owned mainly by Pakhtuns and people of Mianwali based in Karachi) leaves for or arrives in Mithi.

The number of taxis operating in Thar has increased from 150 to over 400, while the qingqis in Mithi have increased from over 150 to over 300 since 2013. These taxis carry passengers not only within Thar but to distant locations all over Pakistan, while the qingqis have almost completely replaced transport animals such as camels and bullocks.

Bank loans for the purchase of taxis are available, but to buy the qingqis and trucks, one can only borrow from the informal market. Interest rates against loans are high and vary depending on how much advance payment can be made by the borrower, or if property or land can be mortgaged against the loan. Spare parts and mechanics for the maintenance of the taxis and qingqis are locally available, which was not so in 2000 and, very often, the vehicles had to be taken to Umerkot for maintenance purposes.

Almost all these different types of vehicles have no insurance, since the owners find insurance rates far too expensive and prefer to put their trust in God. The qingqi and taxi owners have no association but are of the opinion that they desperately need one to negotiate with government agencies and fight against the bhatta [protection money] that the police extorts from them.

An association is also necessary to resist pressure from national transporters’ associations, who coerce the Thari transporters to call a strike on their advice. This was not an issue in the past, because the kekras, which the new vehicles replaced, were collectively owned by seths in Umerkot and Naukot. One truck driver pointed out that there was a desperate need for a driving school in Mithi, because people who were learning to drive were dangerous and caused a large number of animal deaths.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 7, 2022 at 6:06pm

HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144


The roads have also brought about a change in lifestyles and supported people in fulfilling their aspirations and needs. For instance, the kekras have been converted into water tankers; people can now actually order one by phone, to pick up water from Mithi and deliver it to the village. In many neighbourhoods, this is now the preferred source of potable water. The tanker is often shared by many families and this is encouraging the construction of individual underground water tanks.

Similarly, access to healthcare units, especially to the Civil Hospital in Mithi, has become a lot easier and faster, and has been of special importance in maternity-related cases. At a meeting of lady health workers (LHWs) attended by my colleagues and myself in 2011, the LHWs requested that they be given motorbikes now that roads had been built, as this would make their work easier. When told that their husbands and sons would not agree, one of them said that, earlier, they had not agreed to us working but now we work; so tomorrow we will also ride motorbikes.

A major change has also occurred in gender relations — males are less restrictive; there is an increase in education and hygiene; women can now move around without male escorts; women have more say in domestic affairs; and have learnt to talk and carry themselves with confidence, as they have got rid of fear. Before, they had to take permission to go to their parents’ house, but that is not so anymore in the majority of cases.

Clothes have also changed and, as one Thari woman put it, they now prefer to dress for ‘fashion’ as opposed to tradition. People have stopped using asli ghee [clarified butter] and taken to Dalda, and they no longer use bajra [millet] bread but purchase flour instead. As one old Thari put it: “Earlier, we would eat what we grew. Now, we sell what we grow and buy what we eat.”

In addition, weapons’ shops, the consumption of liquor, eating out and discussions on inter-caste marriages are increasing and becoming acceptable. Religious groups have also multiplied and have become the cause of considerable tension between different religions. There is also considerable questioning of the latter trend by a nascent civil society.

The number of shops has also increased — in Mithi there were 20 to 25 grocery shops in 2015, as opposed to seven or eight 10 years earlier. In some villages we visited, there were six to seven kiriana [grocery] shops, where only one or two existed in 1998. Earlier, their owners used to travel to Hyderabad to buy goods but, today, because of the road and mobile phone, they just order the items from Karachi and the transporter delivers them. The clients at the stores are both rural and urban.

Procurement of alternative energy sources like solar panels, easily accessible via the road network, has enabled Tharis to produce and consume goods that were previously scarce in the desert | White Star
Almost all the villages visited by me over the last decade and a half are still engaged in agriculture and herding. The majority of households do not own cattle or land and, although a minority, there are also villages where families do not have goats either.

Government jobs are preferred because of job security and because they add to the respectability of the person. However, the number of persons working in the public sector are negligible and are found only in better-off villages. The majority of households encountered do labour in the barrage areas or in the urban centres of Thar or Sindh.

Meghwar men also work in the garment industry in Karachi, where they save Rs 10-12,000 a month. These persons spend about four months getting trained in Karachi for the job. During this time, they receive no pay. The question is, can they be trained in Thar before they leave for Karachi? They also work as masons and building contractors in Thar’s expanding urban areas.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 7, 2022 at 6:06pm

HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144


Spread all over Thar, the Meghwar community is endowed with great artisanal skills. Embroidery and weaving are their two more significant skills. They produce carpets, shawls, blankets (khatta), kurtas, tablecloths, bedcovers and trinkets, which are in great demand. In fact, business is so good that many middlemen have opened outlets in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and a number of smaller towns in Sindh and the Punjab. Access to these markets was previously difficult but, with the building of roads, this has become much easier.

In addition, tourism has expanded in Thar and tens of thousands of people visit the area every year after the rains and for the many religious festivals that the desert celebrates. The expansion of NGOs and the roads, put together, have helped increase both international and elite domestic tourism. Businesses dealing in handicrafts claim that they can increase their market size if a proper tourism programme is initiated by the government or a private enterprise. Women, who are the most important producers of handicrafts, should logically be the main beneficiaries of such a programme.

Twenty to 25 carpentry workshops have started functioning in Thar over the past 10 years. The carpenters are from the rural areas of Thar, where they worked for the rural population, who paid them in grain. According to them, they have migrated from the traditional beygaar [unpaid labour] and caste culture and are now paid in cash, which has given them both social and economic mobility.

They have strong links with Karachi, since they import timber from there. They also use local Thari timber, but there is growing resistance to it, as the trees, especially the kandi [Prosopis cineraria], are fast disappearing. The carpenters say that if they are provided loans for buying power tools, they could easily increase their work, as the demand for carpentry is unmet.

The building of roads has also led to the establishment of petrol pumps, CNG [compressed natural gas] outlets, and maintenance services for vehicles. This has created a very large number of jobs and brought in money to the rural areas. In addition, building materials, especially burnt bricks that were imported from the barrage areas at considerable cost, have become cheaper by about 18 percent.

Roads have also helped in the increase of salt and china clay mining and there has been a growth in the number of enterprises in this sector. There is general consensus that this has also resulted in more jobs, especially for those villages that are next to the mines. The lives of the families who have benefitted from this growth in the job market have changed and the first investments they make is in the building of pakka houses, with steel channel and brick-tiled roofs. Another important investment is in motorbikes, which makes flexible and faster mobility possible. People have sold their camels and donkeys to buy motorbikes.

Comment by Riaz Haq on December 7, 2022 at 6:07pm

HOW ROADS CHANGED THARPARKAR


by Arif Hasan

https://www.dawn.com/news/1714144



However, a number of negative aspects were also discussed in village community meetings, especially in a 2011 visit. For household fuel, the population was still dependent on devi [mesquite] bushes. Many wanted gas cylinders and said that, with added income, they would be able to afford them.

Everyone complained of the disappearance or encroachment of gowcher [pasture] lands, because of government agencies or powerful individuals. Because the area is now connected by roads, land has become more expensive, which only the rich can buy to accommodate their enlarged families.

While people earn more, they also spend more, very often on things that they don’t really need. For instance, fresh milk is readily available in Tharparkar, but there is a growing preference for tetra pack milk and the use of mineral water is becoming increasingly popular — and to top it all, in weddings, baraats [wedding processions] no longer come in kekras, but in cars.

With the coming of roads, incidents of thefts have increased and the old method of investigating crime, by tracking footprints in the sand, is no longer feasible. No one abides by parking rules and regulations and so, although there are very few vehicles, traffic jams are not uncommon. Accidents involving cattle have increased substantially, and wildlife which was commonly seen while travelling on desert tracks is not visible anymore.

The coming of roads and the pressures of ‘modern life’ has also led to the establishment of a media sector, which is generating jobs in various taluka headquarters. Press clubs have developed where people can voice their concerns and show support or opposition to government policies. This is creating a more aware and politically involved population, and is providing news about Thar not only to Pakistan but also internationally, through channels such as the BBC [British Broadcasting Corporation] and VOA [Voice of America]. The more educated young Tharis are already working as journalists and reporters in the media industry and their number is growing.

One important trade that is seldom discussed, unless prompted, is related to wool and animal hair. An extensive discussion on it is available in the 1992 TRDP [Thardeep Rural Development Programme] evaluation and it was again touched upon by my colleague Mansoor Raza and myself in the bazaar in Islamkot.

It has been stated by middlemen in the trade that 10,000 maunds of wool are dispatched to the Karachi market every season and also to India. In Thar, this wool is used for making shawls. It is claimed that, if a mill for making thread from wool is set up in Thar, it would generate jobs and capital. But thread-making needs skill and training, so a training centre would be required. The cost of such a mill would be Rs 15 million and the process would also require non-saline water.

The roads have also impacted the agricultural sector. Animals can now be stall-fed with fodder from the barrage areas because of cheaper means of transport. Migration to the barrage lands in times of drought has become easier and trucks can also be used to transport animals. Because of the roads, men who migrated with their animals can also visit their families unlike before and, with the help of a mobile phone, can keep in touch with them. More than once it was mentioned that, because of the mobile phone, the mother could talk to her daughter who was married to a man in another village.

The building of roads and change in attitudes has encouraged the use of tractors for ploughing the land. This has damaged agricultural land and made it less productive, because tractor ploughing turns a much larger volume of soil than that done by an animal and, in Thar, only the top soil is productive. Tractor use is as expensive as using an animal (such as a camel) but it is much quicker, since it ploughs in less time.

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