DADU, Feb 16: Intensifying drought has forced hundreds of families to abandon their homes in the western foothills of the Khirthar Range — from Thano Bula Khan to Faridabad town — while prospects of famine and starvation loom large over 500 villages, with a population of 400,000.

Many caravans of drought-affected families can be seen migrating towards the cultivated areas along the right bank of the River Indus, from Jamshoro to the area touching the boundary of Larkana district.

The migrating drought-hit families are without food and fodder for their livestock.

In the absence of aid from the government or non-governmental organizations, the women and children have taken to beggary.

The families, who are staying behind in the drought-affected areas, fare no better than those who choose to migrate — they face almost certain death by starvation — as there is no water, no medicine, and no food for them, too.

When asked to comment on the drought situation, 70-year-old Bibi Khatoon in the Tando Rahim Khan village said that her family often went to sleep without a single meal in 24 hours.

The marks of famine and drought were etched upon people in areas visited by this correspondent, including Chhinni, Khan Bahadur, Chakar Khan Shahani, Bahlil Shah, Basham Faqir, Drigh Bala, Gaji Shah, Fazul Jamali, Qasbo, Rawat Khan Leghari, Murid Dero, Mir-jo-Pat, Taj Mohammad Daultani, Rajo Dero, Kandu-jo- Kooh, Tholu Qambrani, Tore, Naing Sharif, Bajara and Bhit Jabal.

This correspondent also witnessed the pathetic condition of the people living in villages of the following talukas: Khairpur Nathan Shah, Sehwan, Johi, Mehar and Thano Bula Khan.

If the government and non-governmental organisations fail to provide adequate and immediate relief, the people of the area may be faced with huge losses of life and property and the spectre of massive displacement.

The Nazim of the Tore union council, Nazeer Ahmed Leghari, told this correspondent that the areas of Kachho, Kohistan and the mountain areas had been without rain for the past seven years, adding that most of the wells in the area had either dried up or their water had turned brackish.

Mr Leghari said that most of the displaced families belonged to the Jamali, Rodhnani, Chandio, Qambrani, Leghari, Shahani, Mari, Noohani, Jalbani, Rind, Brohi and Lund tribes, adding that the displacement of population seemed to be endless.

He said that no representative of the government or the non- governmental organizations had reached the areas for distribution of food and medicines among the people facing hunger, thirst and disease.

The Nazim of the Chhinni union council, Ghulam Ali Khan, said that the prospects of survival of livestock was no better than that of the people, adding that hundreds of cattlehead in his union council had died while hundreds of others were infected with diseases.

He said that hundreds of families from villages in his and other union councils had left their homes in search of food and water.

Stressing the need for concerted relief efforts, he said that if the government failed to launch a relief operation immediately, the people would die.

In Hero Khan village, a social worker, Haji Mohammad Azam Leghari, said that despite worsening drought and famine conditions in the Kachho and Kohistan, the district administration and the Sindh government had done nothing to help the people haunted by death, displacement and disease.

Almost similar views were expressed by another social worker, Wafa Birhamani, who said that there was an urgent need for relief efforts by the government and local administration to save the poor people of the Kachho area.

He said that development projects, including roads and water supply schemes, were badly needed in the area but the government had paid no attention in this direction.

MNA Rafique Ahmed Jamali also deplored the lack of efforts to alleviate the effects of drought and famine, saying that the government did not appear ready to provide any sort of relief.

The people, including the local elected representatives, have appealed to the Sindh government, non-governmental organizations and donor agencies to rescue the people affected by drought and famine in the Dadu district.