The story of Tharo Mallah is no different from other fishermen of his village, Rilo Mayan. Walking two kilometres to a jetty near the Jamshoro Bridge, every new day rekindles the hopes of this 70-year-old, of finding an increasingly-scarce fish catch in the receding waters of the mighty river Indus.
The fishermen and their families are faced with a famine-like condition. They are starved and fighting for basic survival as there is a severe dearth of fish. These people are not daunted by flood forecasts for the upcoming monsoon season. On the contrary, the idea elates them as it would ensure a good supply of fish.
Recalling his childhood days, Tharo said the river was never dry and barren. It used to flow all-year-round and there was enough fish for every one. But now the river either brought floods and displacements or stayed depleted for most part of the year.
During times like this, the fishermen community is the most troubled as they depend on the river entirely for their livelihoods.Mallah chatted away as he sat in his small fishing boat. Many could be seen repairing their nets on the soaked riverbank, while the children played around, diving eagerly into the cold water.
The barefoot old fisherman in ragged Shalwar Kameez said he had spent most of his years on the boat. I was born in it and grew up playing here. On the boat, I learned to swim and to fish.
His only son is mentally challenged, therefore he is the only breadwinner of the family. He travels over long distances and sometimes spends a few nights away from home to put food on the table.
He said the culture of keeping picnic boats had been abandoned a long time ago as it was very seldom that families or school children visited Jamshoro for boat rides. Jamshoro was once a major market of Palla fish, which has now virtually disappeared from the river. Fishermen say some three decades back there was a plethora of Palla machli’ which was stocked and dried with salt to be sold even in the winter season when it was not available.
Gone are the days when we could catch the delicious palla for four months. Now we hardly find it for two months. The floods now bring fish before the river goes dry, he sounded melancholic.
He said till 1950, his village was located closer to the river bank but floods in 1955 compelled our elders to shift to a safer place. So we moved farther away. Since then, this (Rilo Mayan) is our home.
The News International