Sindh's inland fishermen fear that fast shrinking water resources may cause devastation, as hundreds of fishermen depending on natural lakes, have become jobless. There is no exact data explaining how many fresh waters still exist and in what conditions because the government's figure to have 1,209 water bodies in the province is an old version. Discussing with the media persons at a workshop organised by Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), community activists said there were 200 inland water species till 1990, but presently, delicious species are no more left in the major waters. The reason is because the government has shifted its priorities to promote agriculture, leaving fishing at the mercy of politically influential persons, who deprive fishermen of their basic right to livelihood. Ramzan Mallah of Sanghar said PFF has taken initiative to have sustainable livelihoods for small-scale inland fisherfolks. "We are struggling to improve livelihoods of fisherfolks in terms of food security, income generation and provide better access to resources and market," he said, adding that in this regard, community-based fish management through Fisherfolk Cooperative Society is being designed to benefit the vulnerable people of Sanghar district. In fact, a threat to food sources is a major problem faced by fishermen, hence they are working to promote skill enhancement of women and introducing alternative means of livelihoods. Ishaq Mangrio, Sindhi folklore writer and president Hyderabad Press Club said there is no fresh study to understand the current status of waters, quality of drinking water and availability of fish stock. Depletion of natural resources and threats to biodiversity are not on the priorities of the government. He said the foreign funded project Right Bank Outfall Drainage (RBOD) has polluted major lakes such as Hamal, Kachhri and Manchhar, forcing local communities to shift their families. This shows how the natural resources, which are sources of income to hundreds of people have been destroyed in the name of development, he added. For instance, he said there were residential boat villages, set up inside the Manchhar Lake, and have now shrunk. The lake does not receive fresh water and has become a dumping site to get agricultural and industrial waste through Main Nara Valley (MNV) drain. "Chotiari Reservoir was established over 64 scenic lakes in the area. There were clusters of lakes, which were known as natural habitats for wildlife species, mainly marsh crocodile, soft-coated otters, reptiles and mammals," said Mir Hassan Mari. "But after this development ecology of the Nara Valley has come under threats." Now the government has developed Nara and Ranto canals remodelling project, which further may cause destruction, he said. Suhail Siddiqi, senior journalists including Mahesh Kumar, Fahmeeda Jarwar, Hosh Mohammed Mangi and others attended the workshop and took part in the discussion. The participants, in general, expressed concerns over the performance of universities, private and public, in Pakistan, which are reluctant to conduct fresh studies about the environment, status of climate change and water bodies. Speakers said there are more natural lakes in the desert areas of Sanghar up to Khirpro, which used to get water through watercourses, which has been stopped. He said encroachment on water bodies by influential landlords is not only for imposing contract system, they are also grabbing lakes land for cultivation purposes.