A drop in the ocean


	Mubarak Village



	Shahid Khan and Rolando Bahamondes

	Catch of the day

ith a population of over two and a half thousand people, the 400-year old Mubarak Village lies about an hour and a half to the west of Karachi. Recently, it has received a lot of coverage regarding its lack of basic facilities such as water, electricity, sanitation, paved roads, healthcare and schooling. Currently, just one experienced teacher struggles to hold together its single existing school.

In 2002, an NGO called the Indus Earth Trust contacted the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to request funds in order to provide the village basic facilities that most people take for granted. The main objective of this NGO is to improve health and suggest alternative forms of income for the one and a half million people in fishing communities along the coast of Pakistan. In these communities, almost no household has direct access to clean drinking water; the task of providing water is solely the responsibility of the women, some of whom have to walk fifteen to twenty kilometres every day just to collect clean water from wells.

Mubarak Village was recently visited by the CIDA team from Islamabad, comprised of Mr Douglas Williams, Country and Central Asia Programme Director; Mr Stuart Lane, Policy Analyst; Mr Rolando Bahamondes, Councillor Development Canadian High Commission; Ms Attiya Hidayat and Ms Tahira Syed. They were accompanied by the Indus Earth team: CEO Shahid Khan, Project Manager Ejaz Abro, Engineer Shameem Hasan, and Social Mobiliser Abdullah Rajpar. The entire village, including the women and children, turned out for the event.

The villages in this area have historically depended on annual rain water run-off for their supply of water. Traditionally, small dams and reservoirs were built to collect this water, but climate changes have – for seven years now – denied the area significant rainfall. The water table has fallen and the hand-dug wells, which are twenty to thirty feet deep, have dried up. CIDA and Indus Earth decided at the outset that the provision of alternative sources of water and electricity must be their priorities.

To address the water problem, several deep boreholes have been drilled and wind pumps are used to bring the water to the surface. This water is collected in tanks and extracted via taps, greatly improving the overall quality of the supply. Earlier, the village women would work eight to twelve hours a day just to provide water for their families. Having dug a well, they would have to wait for the water to percolate through the sub-soil. Now, it takes only half an hour to complete this daily task.

In addition to the boreholes, three hand pumps have been installed and several shallow concrete-lined wells have been constructed on an existing river bed. This provides enough water for other tasks such as washing clothes or bathing. Unfortunately, owing to the water-table’s constant sinking (rain water normally keeps it at certain minimum level), the drinking water now available is insufficient. The village has to supplement this with water delivered by tankers.

Two wind turbines have also been installed to provide electric power to the school and health centre at Mubarak Village. Both institutions now have low energy lights and enough power to run some computers. A major part of Indus Earth’s agenda is to improve the income of the fishermen. To this end, new and better fishing nets have been provided on a fifty per cent purchase basis, so that their old, worn-out and often-mended nets can be replaced. Four hundred nets have been distributed so far, which the fishermen weave to their own requirements. Many have now made three hundred metre long nets with floats, which have greatly improved their catch. Unsurprisingly, the fishermen are immensely satisfied with this element of the intervention.

During the visit, a commemorative plaque was given to Mr Haroon, the head of the village, and to Shahid Khan of Indus Earth. The delegation was shown all the projects that were implemented in the village and delegates conversed with many members of the community. In partnership with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), Indus Earth is now undertaking similar projects in thirty-six villages along the coast.

It is sobering to encounter such a large community within easy distance of Karachi, which completely lacks basic amenities. Together, Indus Earth and CIDA have successfully improved the lives of several thousand people through well thought-out, simple, low-cost and sustainable interventions. It is a laudable effort, and one that ought to be replicated throughout the region. The example of Mubarak Village should be more than a drop in the ocean.