India-Pakistan Water Row Has Fishermen Fearing For Livelihoods

Sukkur: Tensions between India and Pakistan over the suspended Indus Water Treaty have triggered deep fears in Sukkur, a city in Pakistan, where communities along the Indus River say they are fighting for survival.Local fishermen, who depend entirely on the river, are watching their livelihoods vanish. 37-year-old fisherman, Asif Ali, said, "We catch fish from the Indus River and sell them to make a living. If there is no water, how will we survive? We are sending a message to the people of India: if there is water, there is life. Without water, there is nothing."Ali Muhammad, 52, recalls the river's better days. "Ever since I became aware of things, there used to be a great flow of water in our river. We would go fishing and even visit the islands (tapus) in the middle of the river. There, we used to grow tomatoes, pumpkins, and various vegetables. Where there is water, there is life; without it, there is nothing."Urging international action, he said, "Both the government and the international community, including institutions like the World Bank, must act. Someone needs to tell India that this is not acceptable. Blocking water is an inhumane act. Our lives depend on the river."Nazar Muhammad, a 48-year-old boat rider, said, "We've been watching this crisis unfold for over 40 years. Even our elders never saw a situation as dire as what we are facing now. It's not possible to survive just with drought and dry years. The river is our only means of survival. And the way they've blocked the water, it's dangerously cruel." (With AFP Inputs)