In South Punjab, for the past 35 years, the representative organization of international welfare institutions, Awami Development Organization, has always stood shoulder to shoulder with the people in any calamity, grief, or disaster. From the devastating floods of 2010 to the floods of 2025, a continuity of relief efforts for flood-affected victims by international aid organizations can be seen, in which Awami Development Organization always appears at the forefront. After completing major humanitarian projects in Ahmed Pur Sial tehsil of Jhang, out of the 260 villages in Kabirwala tehsil of Khanewal, 122 villages were badly affected by the flood. The emergency situation caused by the unusual flood led to a crisis, and to provide immediate relief to the flood victims, Awami Development Organization treated the wounded in a way that is a great example of humanity. This time, the ‘CEO’ of Awami Development Organization, Mehr Tufail Lohanch, has brought a major relief for the victims of the Indus River floods with the cooperation of the international organization ‘IOM’ and UK Aid. Those whose valuable lands were swallowed by the Indus River, whose crops were lost, whose house roofs were also ripped away, and who today have no self-respect left, for the 750 people of the low-lying area Samra Nasib, who were lying helpless under the open sky in winter, providing tents, blankets, beds, utensils, and ration in the form of major relief is indeed an achievement of the Awami Development Organization. The first event took place in the large hall of ‘Event’, organized by Mehr Tufail Lohanch, Mehr Ahmad Hassan Klasra, and Mehr Riaz Ahmad Klasra. It was a major event for the Indus River victims, while the second event took place in the Diyar e Mehr hall, where 260 people were provided with supplies by IMO and UK Aid for the deserving victims of the Indus River.
As an observer, I want to send this message to international welfare organizations and donors that coastal erosion plays a significant role in the recession of the coastal areas of the Indus River in South Punjab. It increases the risk of displacement for the residents here due to coastal storms, which continuously and consistently puts the coastal areas at risk of natural resource depletion, damage to infrastructure, physical and mental harm, and economic difficulties. Unfortunately, predicting the rate of coastal erosion in the future is difficult because the local administration needs to establish monitoring stations along the coast and collect more robust baseline data to determine the annual changes in the coastline, but this need has not been felt.
One question arises: what is the risk?
Coastal erosion, the interaction of waves and coasts, and the collision of the waters of the Koh-e-Suleiman river with the hills not only cause land loss along the coast but also increase the intensity of displacement, which often occurs in conjunction with human activities. Coastal erosion occurs when long coastal waves, surface water flow, or underground water seepage moves sand and soil from the coastal site. This displaced sand and soil is transferred from one place to another and does not disappear from the overall system until human activities, such as dredging, permanently remove it. In South Punjab, climatic patterns affect erosion; erosion continues even in winter, whereas summer generally brings soil back to the coast.
Although coastal erosion is considered a natural process, human activities can exacerbate it through poor land use practices. For example, constructed structures that do not take into account the cycle of coastal erosion or hydrodynamics can increase erosion or transfer soil to nearby areas. Some coastal control structures along the shore, like seawalls, are built to prevent erosion at specific locations. However, if they are not carefully constructed, these structures can actually increase erosion in adjacent areas.
Coastal erosion not only poses many challenges to coastal communities but also results in the loss of coastal cities, valuable real estate, and personal property, as well as fertile lands, biological habitats, and important natural flood protection. Coastal residents need the best methods to control coastal erosion and restore the land.
When its nature is observed, coastal erosion can occur rapidly or slowly. However, measuring slow (or long-term) erosion is often difficult because the extent of natural erosion at a particular coast can vary significantly from year to year. If drying or nurturing of beaches is chosen along specific parts of the coast, it can be difficult to determine how much the coast is being lost or gained by natural processes and how much human activities are affecting it.
Erosion often occurs rapidly; we can lose large parts of a coast in a few days or hours. For example, in the settlements of Kanjal, Rakhwan, and Basira in the district of Layyah, geologists measure the intensity of erosion in two ways — namely, the linear retreat rate (feet of coastal recession per year) and the loss of volume (cubic yards of soil per linear foot of coastline per year).
In developed regions, an open file report of the geological survey is prepared. Institutions such as the National Assessment of Shoreline Change estimate the average annual rate of erosion, which involves determining a short-term estimate for a period that includes both rapid and gradual erosion. These reports provide a measure of uncertainty for the erosion rates, which depends on the sources of data used in calculating the rate. The rate of erosion also varies significantly depending on the location. Gradual coastal erosion primarily causes more destruction because it is a continuous process that affects coasts worldwide. The possibility of rapid coastal erosion still exists, but predicting the extent of any such erosion is difficult because it depends on multiple factors, including the unpredictable likelihood of coastal storms, among others.
Along the long coastal strip of the Indus River, the long-term erosion rate varies significantly due to geomorphology and the physical nature of the coast at different locations. For example, erosion of a coast based on clay soil shows a different pattern compared to erosion on a sandy coast.