Paper short abstract:

This paper aims to explore how the history and spirituality in the interior Sindh coincide with colonialism, capitalism, feudalism, as well as the present modern state amidst climate crisis.

Paper long abstract:

Pakistan’s recent flash floods due to monsoon rains led to a climate catastrophe - one third of the country’s agricultural land has submerged, displacing millions of people, destroying their livelihood and killing nearly 2,000. Economic losses accrued to approximately $40 billion.

Pakistan contributes barely a 0.9 percent of the global carbon footprint, but is amongst the top ten countries affected by extreme weather events. Pakistan has called on rich countries to pay for climate reparations to the developing nations. In Geneva, this week, International institutions and several countries pledged more than $9 billion to help Pakistan rebuild from the climate disaster . Sindh province, with a population of 50 million, is the worst hit area.

This paper aims to explore the disruptions in the everyday life of people of Shukkur (Interior Sindh) along the banks of the Indus River due to climate change. Sukkur Barrage was built on the Indus River by the British Empire during the colonial era.

It intends to address how ordinary lives of people of Sukkur intersect with the big donor institutions (World Bank) , the state corruption and their policies to rebuild. An entry point to explore how history and spirituality in the interior Sindh coincide with colonialism, capitalism, feudalism, as well as the present modern state amidst climate crisis. This research paper is a piece of mini ethnography which derives its data from participant observation (visited Sukkur twice) secondary sources and interviewing.