A journey to the tail of River Indus where it flows into Arabian Sea.
Indus Delta evolved and took its fan-shaped form after millions of years of its natural evolution.
Originating high on the Tibetan Plateau, the Indus River flows more than 3,000km before emptying into the Arabian Sea through creeks and streams. Its push-back to sea created the lands cultivable. This very land we call delta.
The Indus River Delta covers an area of about 41,440km2, and is approximately 210 kilometres across where it meets the sea. It receives between 25–50cm of rain in a normal year. The Indus Delta was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance on 5 November 2002. It has seventeen creeks and is home to one of the few species of freshwater, the Indus river dolphin. It has extensive system of swamps, mudflats, creeks, estuaries, marshes and mangroves forests. Indus is 5th largest delta system in the world and has 7th largest mangrove forest system.
After Pakistan, the dams along the Indus River reduced flows that reversed its eco-system and devastated 90% percent of Indus Delta. Out of 17 creeks only two creeks flow which are also on the verge of death.
In lower parts of the Indus River, water scarcity by dams limit the transport of much-needed fertile sediments down into the delta, which is posing a serious threat to the survival of river dolphin and many other species. Due to water scarcity in Indus River, its creeks and streams are filled with the sea-water.
Once the richest port Keti Bandar on Arabian Sea is under the sea water now. Current Keti Bandar is third town that never became port. Whereas, Kharo Chhan, a port of the past and tehsil of today, lies along Sindh province’s coastline of approximately 350km, a significant part of which comprises the Delta of the River Indus. Kharo Chan covers areas of 778 sq. km.
Due to insufficient water flow in downstream of Kotri, at least 117,823 hectares of land was lost due to sea erosion, of which 87% fell in the category of ‘totally eroded by the sea’ covering all of its dehs except one deh (cluster of villages). Around 17 Lacs of its population have migrated. Mangroves’ forests are dying.
2022 floods in Sindh have caused a vast devastation and destroyed the villages of Indus River, simultaneously it has brought smiles on the faces of people of Indus Delta region as they saw river bedding the sea after the floods of 2010 otherwise the sea covered the area.
If the Indus River system and its flows were properly managed as per its environmental needs, Sindh would never see floods, it would rather be a prosperous region of South Asia.
