Shankar Meghwar, a 36-year-old labourer, forlornly points to an abandoned water-well, which was dug long ago by his father along with other community members. It remained an adequate source of water for his family, fellow villagers and their livestock until a few years ago.

Now, as he stands before it, he murmurs, “This is like the death of our water and it’s been laid to rest here in Gorano.”

In Gorano, a settlement of a little over 500 households in Thar district in Sindh, over 200 wells and more than 100 hand-pumps have been abandoned by locals over the past four years due to water contamination.

Another villager, Lachman, says that the water problem began soon after the start of the controversial Gorano reservoir project by the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) in 2018.

Thar’s groundwater is rapidly depleting and deteriorating due to coal mining, posing a catastrophic threat to the desert’s water security and the lives and livelihoods of inhabitants living near the coal fields…

“It resulted in mines’ dewater mixing with our water source,” he tells Eos, referring to the dewatering that open-pit coal mines have to undertake to ensure safe and efficient mining operations. “As a result, more than 20,000 people in 12 nearby villages — including ours — are now forced to use contaminated water,” he adds.

Lachman says that the locals held a series of protests soon after the provincial government’s announcement of the project in 2017, with sit-ins and protests — in Badin, Hyderabad and Karachi — spanning two years. “But corporate interests trumped the concerns of the local population,” he adds.

TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS

Kalaram, who is in his fifties, tells Eos that the SECMC, as a mitigating measure, provided a reverse osmosis (RO) plant, with a 20,000-litre capacity. “It is accompanied by three water storage tanks, each with around 3500-litre capacity, at three different locations within the village,” he points out.

But it was a lopsided deal for the villagers, claims Kalaram. “Only two litres per day were allocated for each household, while the RO plant remains closed on Sundays, and sometimes one or two days in the week as well,” he points out.

Meanwhile, the SECMC, in a written response to Eos, says five RO plants are operational in the Gorano area, providing approximately 12,746 gallons (48,249 litres) of clean drinking water daily to the community. It says that the water is also tested quarterly by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and has consistently been found to be within the prescribed safe limits.

Kalaram and other locals Eos spoke to say that the reality on the ground is often different, with the RO plant operational for only a couple of hours during the day. “It’s not possible for everyone to get enough water for their family, household chores and livestock within that time,” says Kalaram. “And with time, the water quality has also gone down.”

Kalaram’s concerns are echoed by Nandlal Malhi, who is the chairman of the Thar Coal Action Committee and a worker of the Pakistan Peoples Party, which has been in power in the province since 2008. He tells Eos that the issue of groundwater deterioration in Thar, particularly Gorano, is a serious concern. “I personally think that the location of reservoir needs to be changed [moving it away from populations] now,” he suggests.

POISONED CHALICE

The Gorano reservoir, spread over approximately 500 acres, contains water generated by coal mining in Thar Coalfield Block II, located several kilometres to its north.

According to Dr Hassan Abbas, a prominent hydrologist, the Thar Coal Project has resulted in two primary water-related issues affecting the locals: depletion of water quantity around the mining area and deterioration of water quality around the Gorano reservoir.

Dr Abbas tells Eos that, during a recent visit to Thar, he inquired about the age of the water being extracted from aquifers to access coal. “The mine geologists estimated it to be around 50 million years old,” he reveals.

Dr Abbas points out that this ancient water has been in contact with coal and various harmful chemicals, making it potentially poisonous. “Consuming such water can have severe health consequences, due to the presence of toxic chemicals,” he notes.

The SECMC, however, insists that the company conducts regular water testing of the reservoir through independent environment monitoring consultants (IEMC) and third-party independent labs, and that these tests have consistently yielded results well within the acceptable ranges.

The SECMC also shared with Eos a water analysis report from July 2024, conducted by one Gel Private Limited, as proof that the water was consumable. However, Eos was unable to speak to a water resource expert at Global Environment Lab (GEL) Private Limited, despite multiple efforts. The company says that it has been operational since 1996, but doesn’t have a functional website, while its Facebook page has not been updated since 2002.

CLAIMS AND COUNTERCLAIMS

The SECMC also pointed out that the Gorano reservoir is recognised as a unique wetland of deep subsoil by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global non-governmental watchdog on wildlife.

In 2022, the Sindh High Court had dismissed a petition filed by the protesting locals, allowing the SECMC to continue using the Gorano reservoir for dumping the water extracted from coal mines. One of the documents the court apparently relied on was the IUCN report, which was published in 2019.

It warrants mention that the ecological survey cited by SECMC was part of a vulture conservation project. “Based on the survey and literature review, it can be assumed that [the] Gorano wetland … [has] emerged as the most populated habitat of vultures in Pakistan,” says the story on the report published on the IUCN website in December 2019. The story also mentions that the survey was conducted with the financial support of the SECMC.

The lead author of the IUCN report, Dr Z.B. Mirza, pointed out to Dawn earlier this year that the survey was limited in both scope and duration, and that it was conducted only to study biodiversity, especially bird diversity that exists in the area. “And, it was carried out in only two days — between December 7-9, 2018,” he said.

Meanwhile, another report published in 2023 and authored by Dr Mark Chernaik of the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW), stated that excessive levels of selenium, arsenic, mercury, chromium and lead was found in the water in the area. “It is of recent origin and associated with coal activities in the Thar coalfields,” the report said.

“Prior to coal operations, the baseline mercury levels were below detectable levels, while current levels are elevated by up to 94 times in excess in drinking water samples,” it stated.

This report was based on tests conducted by the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology’s Soil and Water Pollution Control Laboratory, which is approved by the Sindh Environmental Protect Agency (Sepa).

DEPLETING WATER LEVELS

In the Thar Coal Block II (TCB-II) village of Thario Halepota, which consists of around 500 households, the groundwater level has drastically dropped.

Aziz Halepoto, a local activist, blames it on the dewatering in coal mining in TCB-II, and says it has wreaked havoc on the groundwater quality and quantity of his village.

“Historically, the water table was between 80 to 100 feet deep,” Aziz tells Eos. “But since mining operations began, the depth has increased to over 250 feet, yielding water that is not only scarce, but also undrinkable due to its high salinity,” he points out.

Aziz says the village has gone from having 27 operational wells to just one, forcing residents to rely on submersible pumps to meet their household needs.

A separate study, ‘Thar’s Changing Hydrology’, carried out by the Islamabad-based Policy Research Institute for Equitable Development in 2022, found that “the unchecked utilisation of Thar’s groundwater sources for mining and power generation will create both qualitative and quantitative problems as far as the access to water is concerned.”

The study revealed that 89 percent of the population [in the study area] living around the coal-mining fields of Thar Coal Block I & II had noticed that the quality of the wells had changed over the last two to three years. Meanwhile, 76 percent of the same population cited coal-mining and power generation as the primary reason behind the deterioration of water quality.

WATER QUALITY

Professor Dr Munir Ahmed Mangrio is an expert from the Land and Water Management Department of the Sindh Agriculture University Tando Jam. His findings also confirm an alarming decline in the quality of underground water in the Thar Desert, which coincides with the commencement of coal exploration activities in the region.

“In recent years, the villages surrounding the TCB-II have experienced a drastic decline in groundwater levels, accompanied by a deterioration in water quality due to the influx of saline water,” he tells Eos. “This alarming trend is directly attributed to the escalation of mining activities in the region,” he points out.

He says that, with the government’s plans to expand mining operations into additional areas of the desert, a significant alteration of the hydrology of the entire Thar region is inevitable. “It’s only a matter of time before the underground water resources become scarce, leaving local communities with barely any access to this vital resource,” he warns.

The SECMC, meanwhile, insists that the primary source of drinking water for the local population residing near TCB-II is groundwater, which is extracted from dug wells that tap into the first aquifer.

Regarding dewatering, the SECMC insists that only the second and third aquifers were being dewatered. “This practice doesn’t have any adverse effects on the community’s access to water from the first aquifer,” it claims.

OUTBREAKS AND DISEASE

Despite SECMC officials’ claims that no waterborne diseases or outbreaks have been reported in the area, locals from Gorano and surrounding villages have been complaining about a surge in malaria and skin-related diseases since the construction of the reservoir.

Kalaram points out that there was an unusual presence of mosquitoes in the area, despite it being a water-scarce region, which was resulting in a high prevalence of malaria.

Kalaram emphasises that this is a new phenomenon, as they had never experienced such problems in the past. “Almost every household has at least one or two members suffering from malaria or other waterborne diseases,” he tells Eos.

The Basic Health Unit, a government-run dispensary, in Gorano reported 349 malaria-positive cases between September 2023 and August 2024.

A doctor based in Islamkot, who wishes to remain anonymous, reveals that malaria cases have been increasing in the area, with the majority of cases consistently coming from two areas: Tilwayo village and villages surrounding the Gorano reservoir. The doctor attributes this surge to the open water in the reservoir, which provides a breeding ground for the malaria parasite.

LIVESTOCK IN PERIL

The consumption of contaminated water has also affected livestock, with Lachhman claiming that more than 500 animals have died due to the toxic water from the Gorano reservoir over the past three years.

“The fact that almost every household has lost an animal since the construction of this hazardous dam underscores the severity of our situation,” he says.

Dr Abbas, the hydrologist, says there is evidence to support Lacchman’s claim.

He says the total dissolved solids (TDS) levels — which indicate the quantity of dissolved solids in a volume of water — at the Gorano reservoir have been measured at an alarmingly high level of above 5,500, making it extremely toxic.

“In contrast, livestock can only tolerate water with a TDS level between 1,200 to 1,500,” says Dr Abbas. “Therefore, it is highly likely that the death of livestock is due to consuming the poisonous water from the reservoir,” he concludes.

A CATASTROPHE IN WAITING

Dr Abbas points out that if the mining companies, who have a 30-year contract to operate in Thar, continue to discharge more water into the reservoir, it will inevitably lead to catastrophic consequences for the entire region.

“The area surrounding the Gorano reservoir will become uninhabitable for both fauna and flora in the near future, as the highly saline and toxic water will cause widespread environmental harm,” he points out.

This seems inevitable amid a push by the federal government to get Chinese power plants operating in the country to shift to using coal from the Thar region rather than importing it.

Nandlal Malhi, the political activist, believes that the government’s plan to switch power plants to local coal could be a step in the right direction, but he is worried that there isn’t a comprehensive blueprint to address the existing local issues.

Malhi and other locals say both the company and the government must engage in transparent and equitable planning, considering every aspect of the project, including a well-defined resettlement plan, a clear compensation schedule, addressing environmental concerns and, most importantly, mitigating the social fears of local communities before embarking on any new expansion.

The writer is a freelance journalist based in Sindh. He can be contacted at abbaskhaskheli110@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 8th, 2024