COMMUNITY: CHASING THE RAIN CLOUDS
Water bottles slung on their shoulders and sticks in hand, Krishan Meghwar and Ramzan Otho plod along the outskirts of Chelhar, a small town 30 km north-east of Mithi, in search of water and fodder for their accompanying cattle. There is hardly any vegetation on the roadside except some grass that has sprouted up after a little rain, where occasionally cows stop to graze.
“The clouds didn’t rain this year and gave us the black drought,” says Meghwar. “It’s not very strange because this occurs every two years.” The two men were headed to the Sukkur Barrage in Sindh, along with hundreds of their livestock. “We have been in search of fodder for the past two weeks. If it does not rain, we will travel towards Mirpurkhas.”
They spend the night at the nearest village where villagers provided them with charpoys and bedding but they cook their own meal. The villagers also allow them to fetch water if there is a well dug for cows. In return for shelter, the nomads provide water to the livestock of their host family. This give and take is expected wherever they make stops throughout their journey.
Lack of rain in Thar forces the locals to become nomads and move to barrage areas in search of food, fodder and work
There is not enough fodder to sustain the cattle for long and it may end in the next couple of weeks.