Slow death

MANCHHAR Lake, which is situated at the foot of the Kirthar range, was once Pakistan’s largest freshwater body with a pristine wetland ecosystem. Effluents, poor planning and negligible inflows from regular sources have reduced it to a polluted puddle. A vast stretch of the lakebed, beyond Bund Manchhar, has been parched for many months, putting fishermen’s livelihood at risk as they now catch fewer fish. The lake’s well-being long relied on regular freshwater inflows from the Indus and hill torrents — a natural cleansing that kept salinity levels low and ecosystems durable. The irrigation department says the lake’s water level is around 33m, experts insist it is 32m, while official records state the water could rise to about 37.5m “if the lake receives flows similar to the 2022 floods”. It was last replenished by the Indus in 2024, with water levels rising within the banks.

Sadly, it is not just Manchhar Lake that is in decline; many waterbodies in Sindh show similar symptoms. In 2017, the Environmental Assessment of Manchhar Lake found all pollutants surpassing the permissible threshold. The loss of the lake’s biodiversity — including fish, migratory birds and aquatic plants — has meant depleted resources, forcing local fishing populations to leave their homes in search of better livelihoods. Restoration of the lake’s chemistry requires both freshwater inflows and the political will to treat ecosystems as living units. Crucially, efforts to curb pollution should begin upstream. Without treatment plants and stringent control of industrial waste, all measures will prove cosmetic. Boosting natural inflows will reduce salinity, sustain marine life and bring birds back in droves. In order to pave the way for the lake’s survival, provincial and federal authorities, irrigation departments and environmental agencies must coordinate to ensure ecological recovery, community-led surveillance and integration of local knowledge regarding seasonal changes, fish activity and water conditions.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2026

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