Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) has launched a campaign against dumping sugar mill waste in irrigation canals, lakes and natural waterways, a major cause of contamination. Currently, 17 sugar mills in Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan and Mirpurkhas districts are releasing their effluent into the Nareri Lake, damaging not just its ecosystem, but also the livelihood of the communities residing in 350 villages in the surrounding areas of the freshwater body. Hundreds of people either have been forced to leave their ancestral abodes to avoid health hazards or are facing hardships due to increasing pollution in Badin district, it was observed at the PFF meeting chaired by Mohammed Ali Shah. The Nareri Lake, located in Badin district, is a Ramsar Site (included in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance). It provides source of living to hundreds of families living around it for the past several generations. Apart from this, the lake attracts thousands of migratory birds during winter. However, untreated industrial waste from around 17 sugar mills is being dumped into the lake through two major surface drains, posing threats to the ecology and biodiversity of lakes, and destroying income resources of the local communities, the meeting observed. A visit to the villages located on both sides of the Phuleli-Guni Outfall Drain, locally known as Amir Shah Drain, and those within three kilometres of its vicinity revealed that the residents are suffering from various diseases caused by the industrial waste. They included asthma, skin ailments, eye infection, stomach diseases and alteration in skin colour. The meeting, represented by the programme teams of different districts, discussed threats to the ecology and resultant affect on the community’s livelihood, and decided to take up the matter effectively through motivating communities and nature conservationists to save the resources. In this regard, the case specifically related to ecology, community’s livelihoods and protecting internationally known waters is being taken to the provincial government, district administrations and industrialists through nature conservationists to implement the laws and save the environment. Shah said it is a violation of national and international laws that Pakistan is signatory of. Environmental concerns over the unchecked industrialisation have posed challenges to the people, whose voice is yet to draw attention of the authorities and legislators. He said there is dire need to revisit the environmental case and chalk out a coherent strategy to avert the visible threats, as migration of vulnerable communities has become an alarming situation in the tail end area of Badin district, which is already declared prone to disasters. Different committees have been formed to assess the impact of sugar mills water on ecology and communities livelihoods and design a strategy to make the campaign successful. The meeting also reviewed encroachment on lakes by certain influential landlords and hindrances in getting fishing licenses by bonafide fishermen and boat owners. Jamil Junejo, Quratulain Mirza, Abida Jamali, Sarfraz Raza, Suhail Siddiqi, Mustafa Gurgaze, Mir Hassan Mari, Mithan Mallah, Umar Mallah, Suhail Khaskheli, Yasin Tunio and others attended the meeting. ppi