The futureless children
By Khalida Brohi

I checked my stuff once again to make sure I wasn’t missing anything. When all was set, our car slowly made its way out of Karachi.

This is one of our Project Manager’s usual visits to the field areas where our organization -- Participatory Development Initiatives -- is working on Corporate Social Responsibilities of Oil and Gas Companies. Hmmm… well may be this visit was a bit different, as I was going along too!

I could hardly hold the excitement I had and was smiling at the thought of seeing through the beautiful Sindh.

Sindh is Pakistan’s second beautiful province. It is blessed with natural resources, great people and their wonderful cultures. There are about 12 corporate companies working in Sindh at the time. Six of them, which we are presently monitoring, are in oil and gas business in 5 districts.

As our car headed its way towards the interiors of Sindh, I barely moved my eyes off the window. I wanted to absorb the beauty of the vast greenery.

I saw women bent over on God’s blessed lands, cutting the grass; men herding their cows; girls with water pots; and children playing and shouting.

I wanted to run barefoot on the dirt path towards the fields leading to those lovely people… to their simple lives. As our car roared past the huge trees, I could see them dancing in the wind. I wanted to forget the AC in our car and open my window to inhale the cool breeze of nature.

As we got closer to our field areas, the picture began to change. I suddenly felt nature becoming sad. I saw no trees dancing, no green grass. Children ran about, trying to look for a place to spare themselves from the scourging heat of the sun.

My visit to the communities was a clear proof that those massive corporations are standing tall and proud in the very heart of the poorest communities, killing their environment, heating their climate, poisoning their water, destroying their lands, and causing various diseases!

I walked with “seema” to the nearby house to meet the women. My feet made sad foot prints on the dry land which had refused to give out anything. The hot wind pricked my skin, burning through it. I looked around and found the most famous beauty of Sindh almost dying.

At the last of our three-day visit, we had a chance to visit RBOD and LBOD, the disastrous gifts of the World Bank and the ADB.

Our car stopped at the main point where the LBOD’s drain water meets with the sea. The area looked more like a desert. Hot weather made the houses invisible in the dust where they stood near the black pool of drain dumped in sea. We climbed out of the car. I met with the hideous aroma of the drain. Some kids came along and I found them the best to talk to.

Innocent children. Their answers were only, “oh yes we live here, and we go fishing in the sea. But sometimes the water becomes very hot, and our skins are burned. Even dogs that take a dip in the water suddenly run for their lives,” they said and laughed. I was overwhelmed!

They showed the red dots all around their feet and hands. It was like skin peeled off and their condition was getting worse. I couldn’t believe my eyes. They were so innocent. They didn’t even know its cause.

I wanted to yell at them, “That’s not the sea anymore! It is a huge drain! The wrong failed project of some unearthly organizations that don’t care if you die or live!”

These big corporations don’t care if people get skin cancer or even worse.

I suddenly felt tears in my eyes as our car moved further, leaving the futureless children waving goodbye.