Impacts of Climate Change on Rural Communities in Sindh, Pakistan

Tabasum BhattiRoots for Equity, Pakistan

Empowering Marginalizied Women to Impact Climate Change, APWLD

October 4, 2009

Climate Change and Women’s BurdenFocusing on Lower Sindh, Pakistan

• Generally Drought Area

• But Some Changes that have been felt in the past few years:

Before:

• Before normally low 30s• maximum 37 C

Now :• temperatures are normally in high 30s;• Can go as high as 47-48 C

Climate Patterns

• Lower rainfall• Out of season rainfall• Very high wind tornado type

storms• Extremely high rainfall in a very

short span of hours

Climate Change Impacts

• Sea levels rising• Women tell

about hearing the ocean at night although it was not so before

• Water increasingly brackish

Women’s Burden• Have to travel far to carry

out normal duties of washing, collecting water

• Less fuel present for looking after daily cooking so have to go far to collect wood

General Understanding on Impacts of Climate Change on Women

• Case Study of Sunflower

• In Lower Sindh:• Increased sowing of sunflower

which is sown after rice using the same water as from rice

• Sunflower a new form of crop• Very little work for women

during the entire crop production

• Paid Rs 25/day during harvest

Rural Migration

• Low Livelihood from sunflower• Rural Migration for food crops

• Children takenn away from school

• Insecurity for women

• Fights over water collection

• No community where children can be left

Urban Migration

• Seasonal Migration• Although large

number of rural women and girls are seen in Karachi in particular season, little is known about what they do and how they cope

Community Mobilization

• Need to educate women and communities on climate change impacts

• Need to combine issues of climate change and globalization impacts– Eg corporate agriculture giving thousands of acres of

land to foreign investors– Promotion of GMO seeds – Promotion of agrofuels

• Need to promote ecologically based agriculture