THE KECH DISTRICT CONSULTATION MEETINGS
The Division of Makran was created in 1977. The Division has three districts, Kech (previously known as Turbat), Gwadar and Panjgur. It is bordered by Iran, and the districts of Panjgur, Gwadar and Awaran. Kech covers an area of 22,539 km2. It is a mountainous area, ranging in elevation from 100 – 1400m. The climate is hot and arid. Long term meteorological data for the district are lacking. The average minimum temperature is 11.60 C, and the average maximum temperature in June is 44.8o C. (1982 data). Total precipitation recorded at Turbat in 1982 was 155mm. Much of the precipitation falls in the winter months (December-February), but is variable from year to year. The area is susceptible to flash floods. Land capability is not well documented. The potential area available for cultivation is 5.2% (117,294 ha) but water is a major limiting factor. Reliable population figures are not available. The population was projected to reach 608,000 by 1995.
(a) Organization
District Consultative Meetings were held in Kech District (formerly known as Turbat) on December 23, 1997. Separate meetings were held for men and women.
A preparatory meeting held in Kech on December 12, 1998. The Project Director, BCS Support Unit prepared the lists of invitees to these meetings in consultation with divisional and district administration officials, NGO’s, and representatives from various communities. The district administration and the National Rural Support Program (NRSP) distributed invitations.
(b) Process
The meetings began with a recitation from the Holy Quran. Mr. Fida Afridi, Deputy Commissioner, Kech opened the men’s meeting. The Project Director, BCS, introduced the BCS project and explained the purpose of the consultative process and the objectives of the meeting. The Chief of Section (Environment), P&D Department explained the importance of the meeting as a mechanism for public and private sector partnership. The women’s meeting was held at the SPO office. It was conducted in Balochi and was facilitated by Ms. Sangeen and Ms. Nasreen of SPO, who also acted as interpreters. Participants were welcomed and they then introduced themselves. The Education and Communications Co-ordinator, BCS introduced the BCS project and the objectives of the meeting.
(c) Concepts of Environment and Development
In both meetings, in order to clarify the concepts of environment and development, participants were asked what they understood these two terms to mean. They answered as follows:
|
A pen Success in every endeavor Getting ahead Education Cooperation Awakening Awareness |
Population Tree plantation Agriculture Embroidery A shirt* Business Pottery |
(* One woman considered “a shirt” to be something to do with development. She explained that it is socially acceptable for Baloch women to wear the traditionally embroidered loose dress. But the sign of women becoming educated and “developed” is the replacement of the traditional long dress with a purchased, straight, shorter-length shirt. )
Concepts of the Term “Environment”
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World Society Areas Surroundings Lifestyle Resemblance Traditions Air Consultation |
Education Garbage Cleaning of area The relationship between life & existence Food Methodology of working Health Hygiene |
A screening of the National Conservation Strategy (NCS) video followed this exercise. The purpose was to sensitize participants about national environmental issues.
Mr. M. Akhter, Regional Coordinator, NRSP, and the Project Director, BCS led the session on identification and prioritization of environmental conservation issues in the men’s meeting. A similar session was conducted in the women’s meeting. Participants were invited to identify issues related to conservation and development. Every issue identified by participants was written on a card that was then posted on a board for all to see. The opinions of all other participants were sought regarding its validity and order of priority. Each issue or concern raised by during the session was thoroughly discussed. The same methodology was used to elicit and debate participant’s recommendations for dealing with these issues and required follow up action. This process was followed in all of the meetings
(d) Issues Identified
The issues identified by the participants of the meetings are classified under the following headings:
Natural Resources
Urban pollution
Management
Social
Issues Related to Natural Resources
|
River erosion leading to loss of agricultural and residential land Scarcity of clean drinking water Scarcity of water for agriculture Lack veterinary facilities Failure of poultry business due to disease and scarcity of medicines Lack of pesticides and fertilizers Lack of knowledge about natural resources Absence of dams / diversion dams Unutilized agricultural land
|
Maintenance and rehabilitation of karezes , Indiscriminate cutting of trees Indiscriminate hunting Untreated water ‘Khara Pani’ Lack of fuel wood Diseases in date palms Poor fruit due to lack of horticultural research Scarcity of ground water in Shapak area Unseasonable rainfall, damaging dates Uneconomic marketing of dates |
Issues Related to Health and Urban Pollution
|
Lack of proper nutrition, leading to anemia Lack of reliable and effective medicines High fees charged by private medical practitioners Diarrhea in children Lack of health education Spread of malaria Drug addition among youth Hospitals do not keep pace with population growth due to lack of funds High cost of medicine especially for family planning |
Lack of health facilities at schools and in some villages Absenteeism among of medical staff and officials in Health Department Few dispensaries Absence of a dispensary scheme in ADP Inadequate procedures for distribution of family planning medicines in the communities Shortage of tap water Garbage dumps in the lanes |
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Ineffective and weak institutions Political interference in development works Education: - absence of a quality educational system - shortage of schools - teacher absenteeism - lack of educational facilities for women - lack of/inadequate facilities in schools Lack of town planning Lack of electricity Water: - lack of water supply schemes - fetching water from very long distances by women and children - maintenance and repair of natural water channels - taps installed by local government don’t work - poor arrangement for billing for water use - inadequate sewage system - absence of an irrigation system |
Absence of roads and other means of communication, especially in rural areas Lack of veterinary health facilities Absence of market “Mandi” Poor management of telephone & electricity systems Inaccurate meter reading by WAPDA and absence of facilities in Baldia Lack of trained TBAs (Dai) Shortage of grocery items in the markets Lack of agricultural facilities (training and materials) No reconstruction schemes or assistance for owners of houses damaged by heavy rain or floods |
Social-Economic Issues
|
Illiteracy and lack of awareness Unemployment Inflation Poverty Absence of awareness among women on improving the domestic economy |
Scarcity of flour (Atta) Lack of food |
(e) Priorities
Water:
- wastage of irrigation water due to non utilization of run off
- lack of clean drinking water
- wastage of flood water
Absence of quality education
Health
- sewage
- sanitation
Communication
- farm to market roads
- absence of metalled roads
Unemployment
Lack of electricity
Soil erosion
Unemployment
Lack of roads and communication
Education
Health and Hygiene
Water
(f) Recommendations
Subject |
Recommendations |
|
Unemployment |
Investments should be made for industrial development at Turbat. Facilities for date export and marketing should be provided. Advisory services for date growing, packaging and marketing should be provided Facilities for training and information about other crops should be made available. Karezes should be maintained and rehabilitated Roads should be built Vocational centres for embroidery should be established for training and employment. The potential for marketing embroidery should be explored and services provided. People from the district should fill all vacant government posts in Kech. Financial support should be provided to the self employed. |
|
Roads |
Roads should be constructed by the government, and management / security ensured by the community. |
|
Education |
Only properly trained teachers should be posted after ensuring the validity of their certificates Management of schools should be given to the mothers of the students. Appointment of teachers should be done in consultation with the communities. School monitoring should be made more effective. Teachers should be appointed in accordance with the number of students. Politicians and parents should not interfere with the teachers. |
|
Health and Hygiene |
Good doctors be hired from outside Turbat The supply of medicines to the communities should be handled through local health workers Health awareness campaigns should be initiated Proper training should be provided to health workers Nurses should be informed about health worker training and vacancies |
|
Water |
Hand pumps and tube wells should be installed Projects to rehabilitate karezes should be desired designed and implemented A committee of local people should be organized to manage water projects. Water use should be billed according to use |
(g) Major Achievements
- A participatory planning process has been introduced and institutionalized through the work of SPO and NRSP in Kech District
- While there was some interest in forming a representative district conservation committee, there was a lack of enthusiasm for immediate action. The representatives of the two major NGO’s (NRSP and SPO) took note of it and promised to take the initiative forward with a view to addressing issues relating to natural resource management, environmental protection and sustainable development in Kech District. Subsequently, a District Conservation Committee was held on July 25, 1998, in Turbat. A record of the meeting, and list of participants, is attached as Annex 2.
- The perceptions and opinions of various groups, including local communities, regarding issues and solutions have provided very useful inputs to work on the BCS and to the profile of Kech District. Equally, government agencies, NGO’s and the private sector can benefit from the collective wisdom of the various groups in Kech District in planning and implementing their programmes, projects and activities.
(h) Next Steps
- Using the information obtained from these meetings in various BCS documents e.g. sectoral and thematic strategies and papers
- Formalizing a District Environmental Committee and ensuring that it functions effectively and usefully, through the efforts of the two IUCN partners (NRSP & SPO)
- Providing input to the IMPLAN project of P&D department to improve the profile of Kech District
- Suggesting an investment portfolio for Kech district
- Holding a second round of consultation in 1998.