• Polluted water from Main Nara Valley Drain poses major threat to lake, says official
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official → pollute → lake
• Area residents say their livelihoods are severely affected by declining fisheries
DADU
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livelihoods → say → fisheries
: Once known for its vast waters, rich fish resources, birdlife and centuries-old boat culture, Manchar Lake is now facing an environmental and social crisis as officials and residents report rising salinity, toxic inflows, declining fisheries and the collapse of the traditional livelihoods of communities that have lived around the lake for generations.
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that → know → generations
The lake’s water level has recently risen to around 112 feet Reduced Level (RL), but the increase has brought little relief to communities dependent on its waters.
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increase → rise → waters
Shir Mohammad, an official of the Sehwan Irrigation Department, told Dawn that the lake is currently recording about 4,000 Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), indicating severe salinity.
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lake → tell → salinity
Mr Mohammad said that Manchar was receiving approximately 2,000 cusecs of water daily from the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD).
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Manchar → say → Drain
He said the drain carries saline and polluted water and that its continued inflow remains a major concern for the lake.
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inflow → say → lake
He added that the lake’s water level stood at 108.4 feet RL on July 29, 2026.
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level → add → July
As the water level in the Indus River subsequently increased, Manchar received freshwater through the Aral Head and Aral Tail canals, raising its level to approximately 112 feet RL by Sept 1.
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Manchar → increase → Sept
Despite receiving roughly four feet of additional water from the Indus system, the lake’s salinity fell only from around 6,000 TDS to 4,000 TDS, he said.
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he → receive → TDS
The official said the Indus has since receded and Manchar is no longer receiving significant freshwater from the river.
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Manchar → say → river
The lake, he added, is now primarily receiving water from the MNVD.
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he → add → MNVD
A lake losing its life
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lake → lose → life
For communities living beside Manchar, the crisis is not simply about water levels or salinity.
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crisis → live → levels
Juman Khatoon, an elderly resident of the Shah Hassan area, said the lake had lost much of its former beauty and its traditional boat culture.
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lake → say → beauty
Fishing, once the principal source of income for local families, has also been severely affected.
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Fishing → affect → families
“There is not a single fish variety remaining,” she said, describing the impact of increasing pollution on fishing communities.
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she → be → communities
Ms Khatoon said families that once earned their livelihoods from the lake have been pushed into extreme poverty.
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that → say → poverty
She said generations of fishermen had lived on and around Manchar for centuries, maintaining a distinctive boat-based culture that is now disappearing.
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that → say → culture
She called for a comprehensive rehabilitation programme for fishermen whose livelihoods have been destroyed by repeated environmental disasters.
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livelihoods → call → disasters
Shama Mallah, a resident of Bund Manchar near Bubak who said she has suffered from water-borne diseases, described the difficulties faced by families still living around the lake.
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she → say → lake
She said 12 reverse-osmosis (RO) plants along Bund Manchar and another 38 in surrounding villages are dysfunctional, leaving residents dependent on privately supplied drinking water.
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plants → say → water
Residents, she said, are paying around Rs30 per jerrycan to water tankers.
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she → say → tankers
Ms Mallah said many men from the community go to different coastal areas to catch fish because they can no longer earn enough from Manchar.
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they → say → Manchar
Families remaining behind continue to face problems related to drinking water, healthcare and education.
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Families → remain → water
She lamented that the authorities are not doing anything to promote the lake or work for the betterment of the area people.
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authorities → lament → people
What the experts say
Water experts have repeatedly raised concerns about the quality and volume of drainage water entering Manchar.
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experts → say → Manchar
Dr Imran Aziz Tunio, a water-resources expert, urged the government to take urgent measures to protect the lake and rehabilitate its communities.
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Tunio → urge → communities
He said a key intervention would be to prevent polluted MNVD water from entering Manchar and instead divert it towards the sea through completion of Right Bank Outfall Drain (RBOD-II).
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intervention → say → Drain
The issue is particularly significant because Manchar is not only an ecological asset but also supports surrounding agricultural land and communities.
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Manchar → support → land
Environmentalist Nasir Panhwar said the damage extends beyond the human population to the lake’s birds, natural beauty and approximately 0.3 million acres of local agricultural land.
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damage → say → land
The recent rise in Manchar’s water level illustrates the complexity of the crisis.
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rise → illustrate → crisis
A socio-economic expert, Khadim Soomro, told Dawn that for residents, the distinction between the quantity and quality of water is crucial.
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distinction → tell → water
A higher water level can create the appearance of recovery while polluted inflows continue to affect the lake’s water quality and ecosystem.
He said that the challenge before the authorities is twofold: restoring the ecological health of Manchar and ensuring that the people whose lives are tied to the lake are not left behind.
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lives → create → lake
The Aporia
