KARACHI – The recent epidemic of viral disease among the livestock of the Thar Desert region, which killed more than 50 camels in Umerkot and Tharparkar districts and hundreds affected, has now moved to the livestock of the Achhro Thar or White Desert region in Sanghar district. The sheep, goats, cows and camels in different villages of Achhro Thar have started dying after hitting with epidemic of viral diseases.
During the visit of different remote villages of Achhro Thar, the villagers told this scribe that so far 200 goats, 150 sheep, 17 cows and 10 camels have died in Thoorahoo, Janhaar, Sobharo, Maankor and other villages near Sadau, Ranau and Jafarau areas of Achhro Thar region in last one month. Sindh government, district government Sanghar or Sindh livestock department took no notice of such viral diseases in the remote villages and the livestock owners are left to treat their animals with traditional remedies.
Spread over 4,805 squire kilometers along with Indian border, in Sanghar and Khairpur districts of Sindh province, the Achhro Thar or White Desert is a unique desert with vast scattered white sand dunes with very little vegetations as compare to Thar Desert. The official data of Sindh government reveals that 65 percent of Sindh’s total live stock is in the Thar and Achhro Thar regions, but despite that government did nothing for such huge amount of animals head in both regions. Despite spread on vast area, there is not a single veterinary hospital or vet in this region.
“We were happy as there were record rains last year due to which our desert become lush green and lot of the grass grew on the sand dune, which is best fodder for the animals, but the recent wave of the viral diseases have disappointed us and government is not helping in this time,” said Allah Bukhsh Hingorjo, a resident of Sadau Goth.
He said the animals were already suffering of soremouth, bluetongue and other diseases and the recent wave of the viral diseases during which suffer from bleeding and stomach pain and died within three days. Most of the villagers are unable to understand the reason and actual name of these new viral diseases, which started killing their livestock.
“We demand government to send some teams of the experts to ascertain the actual causes of the diseases and also start vacainations among the livestock of Achhro Thar region,” demanded Shams Arisar, resident of Sadau village.
The experts warn that if viral diseases among the livestock of Thar Desert and Achhro Thar (White Desert) continued, Sindh province especially major cities of province like Karachi and Hyderabad would face severe of milk and meat. The rates of livestock are higher in Iran and Afghanistan than Pakistan owing to a smaller livestock population in those countries.
Besides that the recent massive smuggling of local livestock to Iran and Afghanistan and large number of the animals’ death during 2010 floods has already affected the animal population in the province. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has recently issued a report that around 200 000 cows, sheep, buffalo, goats and donkeys have been confirmed as dead or missing in Pakistan, majority of them belong to Sindh province.
If taking into account poultry losses, millions of animals have died with the entire poultry stock wiped out in some areas. FAO also estimated that millions of surviving animals are now facing severe feed shortages, threatening generations of Sindh’s livestock.
Assistant Prof Fatah Mari of the University of Agriculture Tando Jam in a report said beside the ongoing acute shortage of milk and milk, the major cities of Sindh including provincial capital city of Karachi might face a severe shortage of milk and meat in the coming days with smuggling of livestock from different districts of the province to Iran and Afghanistan, viral and several deaths during last year’s floods.
The report further said 80 percent of the flood affected population relies on agriculture and animals for their livelihoods and during floods around 1.2 million livestock and 6 million poultry have died throughout the country.
