Sindh decides to declare Tharparkar a disaster-hit district

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has decided to declare Tharparkar a disaster-hit district and ordered officials to move relief into the drought-affected areas, Aaj News and Express News reported.

Officials briefed the chief minister that drought conditions prevail in all seven talukas of Tharparkar and that 85 to 90 percent of crops have been destroyed or rendered unproductive for want of rain. The meeting reviewed the drought situation in the district and the measures needed to deal with it.

September 2026 brought between 1 mm and 36 mm of rain across the seven talukas. The reports said the uneven distribution dried out crops and natural grass before they ripened, damaging cultivation and the livestock that graze on that grass.

Shah directed that clean drinking water be supplied to the affected areas in every case, that non-functional reverse osmosis plants be repaired immediately and that all existing sources of water supply be restored.

He asked for long-term planning to carry water from Naukot to Mithi and for a review of the feasibility of laying a water line between the two towns. Express News reported that the chief secretary was given the task of examining that feasibility.

The chief secretary was directed to prepare recommendations on possible steps to protect livestock hit by the drought, so that arrangements could be made in time to save animals from losses.

"We will not leave the affected people of Tharparkar alone," Shah said at the meeting, adding that the Sindh government would give them every possible help. He said relief activity in the drought-affected areas would be monitored continuously.

Drinking water for the people, protection of livestock and relief for drought-affected families are the government's first priority, he said.

Officials were told to act immediately and to make relief operations in the affected areas effective so that the effects of the drought are reduced.