Indus for All Programme Indus for All Programme

The formal Launch ceremony of the Indus for All Programme
was held on Wednesday, August 29, 2007, at a local hotel
in Karachi. The Chief Secretary Sindh, Mr. Ejaz Ahmad
Qureshi, formally launched the Programme. The ceremony
also marked the start of a long-term ecoregion programme
for the conservation of the Indus ecoregion. The Programme
is the first five-year implementation phase of a 50-year
vision of the Indus Ecoregion Programme that aims to
conserve the biodiversity in the ecoregion and improve the
livelihoods of the local communities.
Funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy (RNE) in
Pakistan, the Indus For All Programme has been developed
in collaboration with the Government of Sindh and other
stakeholders. The Indus Ecoregion lies in the southern part
of Pakistan in Sindh and partially or fully covers several
districts including Thatta, Badin, Hyderabad, Dadu,
Nawabshah, Sanghar and Umer Kot.
The ecoregion harbours a wide array of biological diversity
associated with diverse ecosystems including coastal areas,
riverine forests, the main river course, fresh water and
brackish wetlands and deserts in the periphery.
With a view to include representative ecosystems, four
priority areas have initially been identified and selected for
the Programme interventions. Those include Keti Bunder
and Keenjhar Lake in district Thatta, Pai Forest in
Nawabshah and Chotiari Wetlands Complex in district
Sanghar. The Keti Bunder area is a coastal and mangrove
ecosystem and is a Wildlife Sanctuary. The Keenjhar Lake
is a freshwater wetlands ecosystem and has been
designated as a Ramsar site (a wetland of international
importance) and a wildlife sanctuary. Chotiari Wetlands
Complex is a unique blend of terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems while Pai Forest was once a riverine forest
and now it has been turned into an irrigated plantation.
The forest is also designated as a Game Reserve.
Launching Ceremony of
Indus for All Programme
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Secretary Sindh Mr.
Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi said that the environment and
conservation of natural resources is very important but
irioinically very little attention had been given to those
sectors in the past. He further emphasized that there is a
dire need for pragmatic actions to address poverty and
livelihoods issues. He pointed out that these issues are of
serious concern and can become a threat to the very fabric
of the society, if left unattended. Besides that, he also
expressed gratitude to the Royal Netherlands Embassy in
Pakistan for providing a generous financial support for
implementation of the Indus for All Programme. He also
assured his full support for the Programme. He further
ensured that all the mega development projects in the
province will be designed and implemented taking full care
of environmental aspects.
Mr. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, the Chief Secretary Sindh
Earlier, Mr. Ali Hassan Habib, the Director General of WWF-
Pakistan, welcomed the participants. Moreover, he said
that during his visit to Keti Bunder with other stakeholders,
he saw that small interventions can bring about change in
Mr. Ali Hassan Habib, Director General, WWF-Pakistan
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such remote areas. In this connection, he mentioned the
initiatives taken under the Programme such as setting up
windmill energy units and establishing a small hut to be
used as a school for a small village of 20 households in a
remote creek. He further elaborated that the main challenge
is to maintain that change and to ensure that the windmills
are providing energy and the schools are functioning well.
He further revealed that there were some shocking
realisations for him as during the visit he came to know
that 60 years ago the Keti Bunder Town Council provided
a loan to Karachi Council, because they were more
prosperous then. He further elucidated that it gets oneself
to think that the difference between the economic prosperity
of our urban and rural areas is increasing. It needs to be
balanced and we should look whether we are sharing the
benefits of economic progress, he added. Agencies show
that while Pakistan’s economy is improving, it is not filtering
down to the needy ones.
Mr. Fred Smiet, First Secretary, the Royal Netherlands Embassy
Mr. Fred Smiet, the First Secretary of the Royal Netherlands
Embassy in Pakistan, spoke about the different initiatives
of the RNE in Pakistan. He said the main objective for
funding the Programme was to address the nexus between
poverty and environment. He further elaborated that the
preservation of the biodiversity is important but for RNE
the most important aspect was to support the poor whose
livelihoods are threatened by a number of factors, such as
salinity, sea intrusion, and decline in fisheries. He hoped
that the experience of Pakistan in this Programme could
become an example for other countries and programmes
of similar nature.
Furthermore, Dr. Ghulam Akbar, the Director of the Indus
for All Programme, introduced the Programme and its
Dr. Ghulam Akbar, Director Indus for All Programme
objectives adding that the long-term Indus Ecoregion
Programme was for the conservation and poverty-alleviation
in the Indus Ecoregion. He also said that the Indus Ecoregion
is amongst the 40 most significant ecoregions in the world.
Out of the five ecoregions found in Pakistan, it is the only
ecoregion that lies fully within the borders of the country,
while the others are trans-boundary. He further informed
the audience that the ecoregion consists of a diversity of
ecosystems ranging from coastal and freshwater wetlands
to riverine forests and deserts which provide habitat to
some important species of fauna and flora.
Mr. Ghulam Sarwar Khero, Additional Chief Secretary
(Development), Planning & Development Department,
Government of Sindh also spoke on the occasion. Besides
highlighting the linkages and opportunities between the
Indus for All Programme and Sindh Vision 2030, he also
spoke about the decline in the natural resources of the
ecoregion. Speaking about alternative sources of energy,
he appreciated the recent initiative of WWF-Pakistan to set
up windmill energy units in the remote areas of Keti Bunder.
He informed the audience that the Government of Sindh
has provided 18,000 acres of land to the Alternative Energy
Department, Government of Pakistan for wind power plants.
Mr. Ghulam Sarwar Khero, Additional Chief Secretary (Dev.),
P & D Department, Government of Sindh
Prior to the launching ceremony, a team of around 30
members from WWF-Pakistan, Government of Sindh, and
media visited Keti Bunder, one of the priority areas of the
Programme. The participants of the exposure visit interacted
with the local people and assessed the ground situation.
The team was also taken to the sites where the Programme
has installed two windmills in villages of Keti Bunder Taluka
Mr. Ali Hassan Habib, Director General, WWF-Pakistan
addressing community people at Keti Bunder
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as part of its alternative livelihood initiatives. One of the
windmills was installed in a remote creek area. During the
visit the windmills were formally inaugurated by Allah Bux
Kalhoro, Director General, Coastal Development Authority,
Sindh.
The Chief Guest taking keen interest in the art exhibition
with Dr. Ghulam Akbar and Dr. Ahsan Qureshi.
The inauguration ceremony was amalgamated with several
other activities including launching of Indus Ecoregion
Programme’s Website: www.foreverindus.org, Programme
Sites’ Information Corners and an Art Exhibition. The art
exhibition put on show paintings by the renowned wildlife
artist, Dr. Ehsan Qureshi. In order to promote communitymade
products, several stalls of the local handicrafts were
also set up at the venue.
One of the stalls set up on the occasion
Over two hundred and fifty participants representing diverse
stakeholder groups and organizations, including prominent
media agencies attended the event. The event was an
effective means of launching some vital components of
the Programme. It is hoped that the launch ceremony of
the Indus for All Programme will foster sound synergies
between all the key stakeholders of the Programme.
In order to promote Indus ecoregion and enhance
understanding about the Indus for All Programme, a range
of awareness and resource material was displayed and
distributed among the participants on the occasion.
WWF - Pakistan’s Staff members during the Launch Ceremony.
Indus For All Programme
WWF - Pakistan
Programme Management Unit
606-607 Fortune Centre, Block-6 P.E.C.H.S.,
Main Shahra-e-Faisal, Karachi.
Tel: 021-4544791-2 Fax: 021-4544790
Website: www.foreverindus.org
The Programme is funded by the
Royal Netherlands Embassy in Pakistan
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