Tharparkar District is one of twenty three districts of Sindh Province in Pakistan. It is headquarters is at Mithi. It has the lowest Human Development Index of all districts in Sindh.
Many nomadic Sindhi tribes inhabit the region. It is divided into 4 Talukas including Chachro, Diplo, Mithi and Nagarparkar. The desert areas of Tharparkar district, generally known as Thar. The total area of the Desert is 22,000 square kilometers and the population of Thar is estimated around 1.million.
There are several communities in Muslims as well as in Hindu castes. In Muslims, more than 90 per cents castes belongs to Smat clans. Whereas in Hindus, there are major portions of lower castes such as Menghwars, Koli, Bheel, and uper Hindu castes there are Lohanas and Bania (both trading communities) whereas Takirs are the land lords of the area.
Nagarparkar is a tehsil of district Tharparkar that borders Indian Rajsthan and Gujarat from three sides. The area is a historical embodiment of Jainism and Hindu Mythologies of thousands years and have beyond twenty archeological sites of Jain temples and pilgrimages as well as some thousands years old Hindu temples and pilgrimages.
The beauty of Nangarparkar is due to its pin granite Karronjhar hills and rich flora and fauna. Various environmentalists have been demanding the national park status for the Nangarparkar
Shawls (silk, wool, cotton, etc), goat and camel hair skin rugs, hand knotted carpet, embroidery of all kinds, blankets from sheep wool, and rulies are the main artisanal skills available in Thar. No scientific study on the handicraft of Thar has been done to date so far.
There are more than 4,000 children works in the carpet weaving industry in Tharparkar district. Most of the children work on the looms for 8-10 hours each day. In addition, the provision of loans on easy terms has enabled these families to get out of the clutches of the contractors who not only exploited the vulnerability of these poor weaving families but also exerted pressure on the households to force all of the available human resources, including children, to work on looms to pay off the outstanding debt.
Except for subsistence farming and limited opportunities for generating incomes, mostly through handicraft and carpet productions through middlemen, there are no viable economic alternatives. It is common for individuals or whole families to migrate towards the irrigated plains to labour on farms; brick kilns or in low-paid work so as to survive in the emerging cash economy.
Compounded by difficulties of access and communication, Tharparkar's economy is characterised by high population growth, increasing number of migrant communities, decreasing socio-economic opportunities based on traditional practices, and most of all, a rapid and unfettered deterioration in environmental resources which may soon threaten the very survival of the population.
People in Thar live in sub-human conditions and remain deprived of even access to safe drinking water, sewerage, healthcare, transport and education. Other issues include bonded labour and violation of the fundamental rights to employment and access to food availability.
Water is very scarce. Whenever rain falls, it is collected in tanks and reservoirs and is used for drinking and domestic purposes. Most groundwater cannot be used because it lies deep underground and is often saline.
The desert population from times immemorial has migrated to the irrigated areas in the dry seasons and particularly at the times of wheat harvest and also provides labour for sugarcane and for brink kilns. Mostly lower Hindu caste migrates regularly.
The animal population is estimated around 4 million with high portion of goats and sheep followed by cattle, and camel. The desert consists of sand dunes between, which are flat plains where agriculture can take place. The total land of Tharparkar is about 4.7 million hectares (1.7 million hectares not cultivable) Agriculture in the desert is entirely dependent on rainfall. Rains charge all water sources in Thar. These water sources consist of wells, trais and covered tanks.
The rainfall occurs between July and September in normal years varies between 200 mm to 300 mm. It is not uniform all over Thar. Sowing is done immediately after rainfall. The main crop are guar and millet mixed with lentils, till, and melons. After the rains the Thar Desert supports extensive grass growth with rains which provide high value feed to livestock. Written By Aziz Sanghur
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Whispering Sands Life in Thar, Sindh Part 04 By Aziz Sanghur movby azizsanghur2,906 views
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