Heritage: Sindh's ecology threatened

[Gul Agha <agha@CS.UIUC.EDU>]

NOTE: THIS STORY PUBLISHED IN 'THE NEWS ON SUNDAY'

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                  Progress sans nature!

The proposed exploration of oil and gas will destroy the wild life in
Khirthar National Park. Zulfikar Shah questions the priority,

Driving about 90 kilometers towards Karachi's north, you find a place
of peace with a soothing silence, which can only be broken by the call
of a partridge or by the fluttering of the wings of a buzzard
alighting a tree branch. This is Khirthar Park - humid and once until
about 500 BC, covered with tropical forest.

The landscape gives a panorama of pristine arid land of vast spaces,
clean air, wide undulating valleys and rugged north-south hill ranges,
rising to 3294 feet at Karchat mountains and sinking to 320 feet above
sea level at Hub Dam in the south-west extremity of the park.

Spread over 1200 square miles, the Khirthar National Park (KNP) was
declared the country's first national park in 1974 and a year later,
it was listed on the United Nations (UN)'s list of national parks, a
first for Pakistan. It soon came to light that the Park was home to
various unique species of goats, sheep and deer like Sindh Ibex, Urial
and the chinkara gazelle came into media focus.

In the present days the park has invited the attention of the media
and nature lovers with the government's decision to allocate the area
for exploration. A multinational oil company has been given permission
to drill the park in search of oil and gas. This has disturbed the
environmentalists and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that
demand that this natural heritage remain alive in its original form.

The NGOs are opposing the oil exploration activities since the federal
government awarded the gas exploration license to the company three
years ago and are expressing deep concern over the Sindh government's
decision to allow an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the park
at a time when even the Baseline Environmental Study (BLS) of the park
is underway. "We want to let the BLS be finished first and then decide
whether or not the oil exploration would be feasible here," says Dr
Aijaz of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The permission granted in this regard is illegal. It creates doubt
about the government's intention, he said, adding: "EIA is a part of
any project. That means the government intends to allow the drilling
in the protected park at any cost."

However, Shamsul Haq Memon, Secretary for Environment and Wildlife
Department, contradicts these apprehensions saying: "There is no harm
in EIA and as yet, the government has not allowed any physical
exploration activity." But at the same time, he accepts that it is a
fact that the BLS is in process and expected to be completed by
February 2001.

"EIA process for the proposed gas exploration project in the Khirthar
National Park could only be made after the submission of final report
of the BLS and completion of deliberation by all relevant stake
holders," says Farhan Anwar, co-ordinator of the Citizens Committee on
Khirthar, representing almost a dozen local and international NGOs.

One can trace the present issue way back to July, 1997, when the
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources granted gas exploration
license for 'Dumbar' Block in Sindh to Premier Exploration Pakistan
Limited which was later merged with Shell Group and now is called as
Premier-Shell BV.

The Dumbar Block covers more than 90 per cent of the Kirthar National
Park, which enjoys 'Protected Area Status' according to the provincial
laws and international standards for national parks.  Consequently,
when the company came with a caravan of logistic, drilling machines
and vehicles, the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) and NGOs working on
environment raised objection over the exploration activity in the
park.

No doubt credit goes, specially, to IUCN, WWF and some officials of
the SWD who stood their ground by not allowing the exploration work as
they were of the view that the park is not only a national heritage
but also an environmental asset.

Sensing strong opposition, the company halted the work and came to the
dialogue table with assistance and full support of the federal
government. As a result of the dialogue at a public consultative
workshop in January, 2000, all the stakeholders, NGOs, government and
Premier Shell agreed to conduct the BLS of the park. The objective of
the study was to acquire, assemble, evaluate and present baseline data
on the ecological, human and environmental characteristics of the
park. "It was decided in the workshop that till the final results of
the baseline study no further initiative for oil and exploration will
be taken," claims Farhan Anwar.

An Australian company Melbourne Enterprises International (MEI) was
awarded contract for the BLS with a funding of $7m by Premier
Shell. And surprisingly, before the team of Australian scientists
returned to carry out the second phase of the BLS and disclose the
results of the first phase of the study in a workshop on September,
12, 2000, Sindh Governor Mohammadmian Soomro used his powers to
approve the EIA of KNP on August 3, 2000, and that is scheduled to be
conducted by a Canadian firm.

"Government, by allowing the EIA before the completion of BLS, has
breached the commitment made with us in the first workshop," says
Farhan. "EIA is an illegal act and we strongly condemn and protest
against the action." Interestingly, the results of the first phase of
BLS of KNP disclosed by the head of the team of scientists conducting
the BLS Prof.  Neal Enright of University of Melbourne in a workshop
here in Karachi made the case of the environmentalists more strong
that the park is environmentally very rich. And any exploration
activity can destroy the entire atmosphere.

"In the fauna survey, 154 species of birds, 34 species of mammals, 29
species of reptiles and four species of amphibians have been
identified in the park. Of these, 18 species of birds and 10 species
of mammals are considered rare in Pakistan," says Prof. Neal while
disclosing the results of the first phase of the BLS conducted in
February to April this year. "The flora survey has discovered 365
species of plants."

"Even after the results of first phase of BLS, it is clearly
established that the park is very rich in flora and fauna and some of
them are very sensitive; so no one has the right to carry out any such
activity which can destroy these species," says Ashiq Ahmed Khan,
Chief Technical advisor of WWF.

Australian scientist Raidian Harrington, who conducted the flaura and
fauna survey, says that some of the species are new for the province
and few new for the country. "The mountains in the KNP are more
important as these are habitant of the rare and endangered wildlife
species of Sindh Ibex and Urial." he added.

"No doubt, we should exploit the natural resources but not at the cost
of wild life," argues Ashique Ahmed, opposing the gas
exploration. "Environmentalists are confident that there is a large
number of plants and animals which are very sensitive for any kind of
development activity."  Shamsul Haque Memon, says "If there is no harm
to wildlife, then we should go for gas exploration. If the gas is
found (as is expected), it will not only change the fortune of the
local people but also bring prosperity to the province as well as for
the country." He said according the estimate of Premier Shell, the gas
reservoirs in KNP can be more than Sui reservoirs.

The opinion of Memon contradicted by Prof. Noman of the NED University
of Engineering and Technology and the member of the 'citizens
committee on Khirthar.' He says: "Local people have never benefitted
from such projects. We have the examples of Sui and Badin where oil
and gas were found but the local people are living in the same poverty
stricken conditions. Only a few Sardarsand Waderas have benefited so
we should not sacrifice our national heritage and environment for the
benefit of the elite," he added.

Sources in the Sindh wild life department says the department was not
happy with the permission given to the EIA and in all the summaries,
the department has opposed such permissions. But the head of the
province following the federal government's pressure gave the approval
of the EIA without giving considerations to the SWD objections.

Interest of the present Sindh Governor and Federal Minister for
Petroleum and Natural Resources in the project is not surprising for
knowledgeable sources as they know that the minister has been the
employee of Shell before his present portfolio and the Governor used
to sit at the company's board of governors.

Legal experts say that awarding license for oil exploration and
permission of EIA in a national park are a clear violation of
law. "Gas exploration and production activities and mining are illegal
in the park," says noted lawyer Pervez Hasan. Sindh Wild Life
Protection Ordinance, 1972, clearly prohibits any act, in a national
park, which results in harming the birds and animals, damaging plants
and trees, clearing or breaking up of any land for mining and other
purposes.

Another lawyer Zain Shaikh comments: "Activities involved in gas
exploration and production are likely to breach each of the
prohibitions outlined in law. And any permission granted by the
government to undertake such activities would be void as being
beyond the power of the government." ...

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