Long March news in Daily The news

World River Day observed
Monday, March 15, 2010
By By our correspondent

HYDERABAD: The World River Day was observed here on Sunday by political leaders, civil society representatives as well as local citizens with a resolve to restore the waters of the Indus River in Sindh.

The leaders of political as well as nationalist parties and civil society representatives criticised the rulers and announced the launch a long-term struggle for the restoration of the Indus River and availability of water in Sindh.

The announcement was made at the completion of a long march of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) held at the banks of the Indus River at Al-Manzar, Jamshoro. The participants of the long march reached the Indus River bank in Jamshoro after covering over 300 kilometres in 14 days from Kharochan, Thatta. The PFF Chairman, Mohammed Ali Shah, speaking at the occasion said that construction of dams had destroyed the livelihood of thousands of fishermen. He vowed to thwart the designs for more dam construction and urged that the previously constructed dams should also be decommissioned.

He said that because of the non-release of water below downstream Kotri, more than three million acres of land had become barren. He proposed nationalist parties to start a long march as a first step to Guddu Barrage and later to Tarbela. He also suggested that a sit-in of millions of people should be organised at Islamabad.

Sindh Tarraqi Pasand Party chief Dr Qadir Magsi said that Indus River should be restored for saving the future of the people as it was the lifeline of Sindh. Awami Tehreek president Ayaz Latif Palejo said that water would not be released into the Indus River through resolutions in the Sindh Assembly and a mass movement should be launched in this regard.

Our correspondent in Thatta adds: The World River Day was observed here with several members of local social welfare and human rights organisations, members of civil society as well as local citizens visiting the Indus delta in coastal towns, including Ketibundar, Khharochhan and Baghan.

Civil society members lamented the deteriorating conditions of areas in the Indus Delta due to lack of water. They said that over 1.2 million acres of land within Indus River embankments in coastal areas had been engulfed by the sea water and almost all sources of livelihood had been eliminated.
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