Women take the wheels

THAR: Pooja operates a 20,000 gallons/day water filtration and reverse-osmosis (RO) plant in a remote area of Islamkot, Tharparkar, which is one of the 17 plants set up in the area by Thar Foundation.

“For us, the day used to begin with carrying water pitchers, which we filled from stored rainwater or small natural tanks, after walking on hot sand for hours,” Pooja said.

“Now, most of the villagers have access to these RO plants set up in the area with the advent of coal mining and power generation companies.”

The Thar Foundation is the CSR wing of the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), a public-private partnership operating in Thar Block-II area largely inhabited by Hindu community.

The 1.6 million population of the Tharparkar district is surviving on contaminated, saline or untreated groundwater as long as anybody can remember. Successive governments have announced schemes to improve the life for the Thari people but no tangible projects ever materialised.

The Thar Foundation has installed 17 RO plants, including 10 handed over by the government of Sindh. These RO plants in Block-II and Gorano areas are providing WHO-standard drinking water free-of-charge to a population of more than 30,000. Around 80 per cent of the local population has access to clean drinking water through the above-mentioned RO plants.

Moreover, Thar Foundation has trained 18 local women in operation and maintenance of these RO plants. This is just one instance of the social uplift, Islamkot is witnessing large-scale mining and industrial activities gaining pace in the area.

“We get water, our children are going to schools, there are health facilities, while a large number of men and women got respectable jobs, such as myself,” Pooja said, expressing hope that more industries would come to the region and contribute to the social uplift.

In another revolutionary step in this remote region, the Thar Foundation provided training for dump truck driving to more than 52 Thari women. Out of them 25 women successfully completed their training and are now working as drivers to transport coal.

Ratna, another driver, said that it was a dream come true. “Initially, I was quite scared of such a large vehicle, but I have completed my training and am able to support my family now. My children are getting good food and clothes, as well as education.”

Along with its technological components, e.g., the mechanisation of labour and the reliance upon inanimate energy resources, the process of industrialisation entailed profound social developments in the barren Thar.

Nasir Memon, director of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC), said that once a barren land, it is now booming with social, as well as economic development.

“Five years ago, an acre of land in Islamkot was available for Rs500,000. Now it costs Rs6 to Rs7 million, as investment is coming and the markets are expanding,” he said.

Thar Foundation has set up 27 schools in its beneficiary area, Islamkot and Mithi, having a capacity of 5,500 students. The employment of locals is not just confined to skilled labour.

Thar Foundation also invests in human development so that local youth could get jobs in the engineering and management cadre of the company.

“Thari men and women working here are skilled and trained and can earn their living anywhere in the world,” Memon said, adding that a larger number of mid-level employees are locals.

Businesses create new jobs and produce wealth. But if they fail to act responsibly, they can also pose a threat to the society and the environment.

The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mitigates corporate damage by encouraging socially responsible, and environmentally-friendly, actions.

According to MDPI Open Access Journals, the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the importance of businesses CSR strategies.

“In response to the crisis, some corporations remained loyal to their understanding of ethics, some stepped up and helped their society with all the means at their disposal, while some others took advantage of the situation and tried to gain short-term benefits.”

Memon said that the SECMC initiated investment in the communities even before any CSR obligation accrued.

“We have also invited mining and power companies operating in other blocks to join us on the Thar Foundation platform for the betterment of the people of Thar,” he added.

Thar Foundation also plans infrastructure development in the region. In the first phase, the entire population of a village has been relocated. Around 172 households of village Senhri Dars have involuntarily relocated to the new village.

It was done through a participatory approach, including both men and women of the community. The design and construction process for the Phase I (Sehnri Dars village) has been carried out by renowned housing and town planning experts who will ensure state-of-the-art structures, enhancing the quality of the life without compromising on the natural ecosystem, social fabric, lifestyle and traditions of the Thari people.

Bharat Bhail, a resident at the relocated village said that all the families get similar houses in the new village. “They have given similar houses to every family regardless of religion and social status.”

The Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company is implementing a coal mining project in Block-II of Tharparkar. Engro Power Thar Limited (EPTL) has set up two power plants of 330MW each in the same block. Thar is among the bottom 10 districts of Pakistan on the Human Development Index.

To ensure that the local communities get benefit from this project aimed at inclusive development, a social sector organisation, the Thar Foundation was established by the Sindh government, SECMC, Engro Powergen and other partner companies.

Coupled with the successful bio-saline agriculture in Thar Block-II, the Thar Foundation also initiated breeding fish in the Gorano Reservoir, where the groundwater extracted from the depth of 180 metres, containing 5,000ppm, is stored by the coal mining company.

“An unbelievable development and success have been achieved in the shape of fisheries in the Thar desert,” Memon said.

Seven fish species, including Morakhi (Mrigal Carp), Rohu (Labea Rohita), Theli, Kuriro, Gulfam, African Catfish, and Dangri (Barramandi) recommended by the Sindh Fisheries Department are being raised in the project.

Initially, 100,000 fish seeds were released in Gorano Pond after rigorous testing of fish species in saline water ponds. Fish species were raised on organic feed and SGS and GEMS labs have declared the fish as fit for human consumption.

The extension plan was launched under the Desert Fisheries Initiative in collaboration with the Livestock and Fisheries Department, Sindh, where 200,000 seeds were released in 2019.

In the last three years, more than 20,000kg of fish catch was distributed free-of-charge to the local villagers.

Thar Foundation is working for the betterment of the people of Tharparkar through graduated and sustainable interventions in the fields of healthcare, education, livelihood, community infrastructure, gender equality, clean drinking water and sanitation services and disaster management.

It has adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework to align its CSR programme in Tharparkar.

The foundation has a plan to make Block-II and subsequently Islamkot compliant with the Sustainable Development Goals, as the government of Pakistan is also a signatory to this global framework of human development under the United Nations.

Since these goals are a universal call-to-action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity, the Thar Foundation has adopted these global goals with a vision to uplift the communities in Thar and usher in a new era of peace and prosperity.