The Story Of The Gloomy Indus

Pakistan is an agrarian land of fertility and finest rivers stretching all the way from the north Himalayas Tibetean plateaus feeding though to the south tail of the country. During its water travelling, the others rivers pay their homage to the mighty Indus which has long nurtured the eco-life of this region and the oldest of the civilizations for centuries without any complaints. This mighty Indus contributes nearly 25 % of country’s GDP and has given generously for the 90 % of the crops produced here.

This lovely story of the Indus is now taking a huge turn this time. A new ghost has taken over the fears of the European advanced states. This time, the ghost of climate changing is looming over the global community. Alas, echoing the history, this time the most affected one is again the third world and the dispossessed of the global east. The situation is for now, not sure but the future world war is likely going to be around the waters issues in the face of the climate changing pace. This news is being told by the nature itself for the past decades to the seemingly deaf ears of the human greed.

As nothing in this natural world has managed to fled away undisturbed so is the case with rivers and water system of this gloomy globe. Unfortunately, this time river Indus is also the suffering one, the only compensation given back by the ever called superior intelligent animals. For the loss of water, Pakistan and India’s own faults in the deterioration of its water flow are as much as the anger of mother nature in a form of climate change. India’s building of hydro plants on its side has impacted the flow in Indus, but Pakistan own built dams and barrages did the same so.

The flow in Indus has fallen quietly low in recent years, and now the consequences are being seen in the delta region of the Sindh. Having been starved of fresh water with the intrusion of the Arabian sea, Indus delta is dying a inhumane death. It’s not like that Indus has recently started to deteriorate, but rather it is happening for the centuries. Its structure now as compared to the nearly 200 years back is 92 % shrunken. Its shrinking has been all along natural but activities of humans have added to the pace in the fear of its extinction.

These drastic changes in the river basin and delta are directly linked to the global climate changing around the globe. The temperature rising and the talks of the increased global earth temperature upto 1.5 degree, needs to be clarified here. This temperature 1.5 is an increment to globe’s temperature since the pre industrial era, near 250 years ago.

Now the question arises, how the decreasing level of water in the Indus is causing the land in the Indus delta to be drowned and being eaten by the sea? The answer is very simple, the river water molecules are more mobile as compared to the sea water molecules and the former one acts as a natural force pushing the invading sea water off its territory. Villagers of the south still see to the promise of the state to provide its due share of 33 million hectare of fresh water to the south delta.

Some of the parts of Thatta region are already submerged under the sea water while the city is warned to be drowned in the near future. The people of Kharo Chan, a village near the Indus delta, are even bound to buy the water in order to survive. Even the drinkable water has become a commodity which once was a unthinkable move even in our elders dreams.

The variations in the Indus river and delta is directly linked to development of infrastructure like dams, barrages, diversions and the climate changing happening across the globe. Poorer countries have already faced the wraths which weren’t meant for them. Under developing countries were already oppressed, and now even they are being deprived of the climate justice and soon the days are to come when even the oxygen would be sold in the markets with tags “Only For The Rich”.