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This
Delta is probably the largest continous area of arid-climate-mangroves
in the world. It is one of the most remarkable yet forgotten of the
ecosystems found in Pakistan; a green and peaceful wilderness close to
an otherwise dusty and crowded metropolis. Increasingly under threat,
from constricted fresh-water flows down the Indus and from
overexploitation for firewood and fodder, the mangrove swamps are no
longer regarded as wasteland. The World Conservation Union (I.U.C.N) has
been working in the area for many years and is focusing its activities
on saving the mangroves through resource-management techniques and on
ensuring their growth via educational awareness-programmes and
activities for the locals. Trans-Pakistan Adventure Services have traversed the area and are pleased to announce the availability, for the first time in Pakistan, of a One-Day tour or a Two-Day tour (with overnight camp) dubbed as THE INDUS DELTA MANGROVE SAFARI. These Trips are also offered in combination with Jeep-Safaris, etc. For further details or queries on the SAFARIS, please contact us. |
| P.O. Box 2103, Islamabad. 61/A, Pirzada House, Najam Shaheed Road,
Westridge I, |
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One
of the greatest rivers of the world, the INDUS of Pakistan, does not end
its arduous journey by simply disgorging itself rapidly into the Arabian
Sea. All contraire, a great part of the last remains of melted snow and
glaciers of the hinterland meander through a plethora of creeks; and
around a literal maze of assorted islands, mudflats and sandbars which
occupy 6000,000 hectares and over 100 kilometers of Pakistan’s coast.
This area is known as the Indus Delta.
The
bustling metropolis of greater Karachi (chief port and most populous and
large city of Pakistan) lies of the northwesterly fringes of the Indus
Delta. Unbeknown to most, this Delta and it’s very peculiar terrain
offer a perfect opportunity to explore and examine one of the greatest
but least known marvels of nature, a DELTA ECO-SYSTEM, before it gets
lost to the incumbent ravages of civilization and changing environment.
The Indus Delta is also rich in history. Archaeological remains of the
last three millennia, from, the time of Alexander the Great (who
traversed these very shores), manifest the truth.
The
Delta is, in the first instance, an ode to nature. Here, in the immense
net of creeks around its countless islands, the once fast-moving water
of the Indus spreads out and converges upon the sea on a vast scale.
Fresh (so to speak) water meets with salty seawater and lends an ideal
environment for the cultivation and growth of a unique tree: the
MANGROVE. Mangroves survive and grow in seawater but do best in areas
where the sea mixes with fresh water. This exotic tree covers almost
160,000 hectares of the Indus Delta.
Mangroves are important because they protect
the coastline from erosion by the elements; they provide nursery grounds
for many commercial fish especially shrimp and prawn; they provide fuel
wood for coastal villages while their leaves make ideal fodder for
domestic animals; and, because they provide, especially in winter,
feeding grounds for many birds and animal species.