Social Inequality and Environmental Threats in Indus Delta Villages: Pakistan

Abstract

The physical presence of historic villages and habitats on the Indus Delta is observed to be under threat due to environmental changes and permanent disasters. The delta of River Indus has distinct social, economical and environmental features as compared to the rest of the coast of Pakistan. The delta population, being the lower riparian of the River Indus, receives a limited flow of fresh water. This is causing environmental degradation and negatively impacting traditional livelihoods, survival and resilience patterns in the presence of high levels of social inequality. Climate and environmental changes over time are deemed as a root cause of the rise of sea level which is leading to a loss of land, rendering it unusable for cultivation, increase in salinity, depletion of mangrove forests and a decline in fish catch. This paper is an outcome of field visits to the Indus delta's inland and the island villages in Kharo Chan in particular. In this paper, the focus is on environmentally induced migration caused by slow-onset disasters and its linkages with social inequality based on class, caste and kinship groups.