Fr Tomás King continues to share with us how the Parkari Kholis develop water conservation techniques.
The Thar Parkar Desert region receives between 260 and 280mm of rainfall annually. If stored properly this would be sufficient to meet the domestic needs of the people and their livestock until the next monsoon season.
But because of inadequate water storage and rainwater collecting facilities more than 95% of the water is lost under sand dunes or evaporates in the intense summer heat. Pakistan is considered a water scarce country and it is one of the world’s most arid regions.
Rains are becoming erratic and the overuse of limited water is expected to create severe problems for the country in the years ahead.
To help prevent this, the country needs to promote the proper conservation and management of water. It needs to implement workable rainwater collecting facilities at the village level so as to reach as many people as possible and alleviate some of their difficulties.
During the monsoons of 2011 and 2012 heavy rains in the Thar Parkar Desert recharged parched shallow wells, raised the water table in deep wells and filled household cisterns.
In anticipation and hope for good monsoon rains people usually prepare their fields every year in late July before the rainy season starts. They plough and plant seeds of millet, cluster bean, sesame, kidney bean, cow peas, musk melon, water melon, squash melon, wild cucumber and other wild plants. Prior to the rains, they also clean ditches and depressions for storing rainwater.
When the monsoon rains arrive they turn dusty and arid villages in the district into an oasis with lush green foliage and plenty of water to drink and to bathe. There is also sufficient pasture for livestock to graze and thrive on. The lives of people are invigorated.
They begin to cultivate crops, bring back their livestock from interior Sindh and they store as much rainwater as possible. It is an awe inspiring sight to see a semi-arid desert turned into lush greenery, if only for a short time.
But, the accumulated rainwater in these ditches and depressions lasts only for three to four months, so for the rest of the year they depend on the brackish water of wells, which results in health hazards among humans and livestock. The links between water quality and health risks are well established. An estimated 250,000 child deaths occur each year in Pakistan due to water-borne diseases.
One example of illness linked to the quality of water is fluorosis which is caused by the high content of fluoride, which causes people to develop bone deformities plus skeletal and dental problems.
Decreasing water levels in wells and a subsequent increase in the fluoride concentration are endangering the lives of people who have no alternative but to drink such water. A survey of one village found that 250 people of the 950 population were suffering from fluorosis.
In a normal day family members from each household spend around 4-6 hours carrying 4-5 clay pots amounting to 50-60 litres of water from wells. The necessity is for the introduction of low-cost technologies to collect huge supplies of water, which can help meet needs of the people throughout the year.
Water conservation experts claim that there are several viable ways of collecting and storing rain water which include piped roof water collection, building ponds, and building small dams that would allow it to seep underground for the water table level to rise.
But the construction of such water conservation techniques is not possible without serious investment by the government. To date neither the provincial nor the federal government have taken this life and death issue seriously enough.
The Catholic Church, among other things, in its outreach seeks to alleviate a little of the suffering. One modest effort is the construction of water tanks to store water. They are built underground with a large concrete area on top to catch the monsoon rains.
They are built to a capacity of 2000 gallons. The monsoon rains are so heavy that the water tanks fill in a matter of hours.
The materials and expertise are funded through the parish enabled by generous benefactors. The contribution made by the people receiving the tanks is to dig the holes and provide the labour to the block layer-cum-plasterer. In a village of 30 families, 30 tanks have just been completed. When the monsoon rain water is used up, it can be refilled in bulk by drawing water from distant wells by oxen and cart, camel and cart or donkey and cart. This work is done by men and it saves the women from having to fetch water each day.
In addition to the water tanks water filters are provided. They are made from the traditional clay pots that people use for drawing and storing water. Layers of pebbles, gravel and sand are put into one pot, which is filled with water. The filtered water then drains through a pipe into a second pot and which is now safe for drinking.
They work effectively and are an example of simple technology appropriate to the people's needs and context.
The new water storage facilities have transformed the lives of people. They have a safe source of clean water and diseases have diminished. It gives more opportunity for children to go to school and women have more time to spend on other activities, and maybe have a little rest!
Indeed, water is life! Without water there is no life. It is the most basic thing for living. It is not surprising that water is a central symbol in several great religious traditions. As Christians it is through baptism that we enter into the life of the risen Christ.
Fr Tomás King SSC is the Mission Unit Coordinator in Pakistan.
