Evaluation of Thar Rural Development Project

1. BACKGROUND 

Throughout 1987, Thar, the desert region in the south-eastern part of the Sindh province in Pakistan, was in the news (for Thar’s location see Appendix – 1: Map of Pakistan). It was reported that there were a large number of animal and human deaths caused by, what was termed as, the worst drought in Thar’s recent history. To aid the relief efforts of NGOs and government agencies, and to identify their own roles in the relief process, the Government of Sindh (GOS), UNICEF, and Save the Children’s Fund (SCF), in November 1987 undertook a joint assessment of the drought and famine conditions in the desert. The assessment revealed that though conditions were very bad, there was certainly no famine in the desert. In addition, the drought alone was not to blame for the near famine conditions. Social, economic, and demographic changes in the desert had destroyed an old way of life and its supporting institutions and practises, which had made it possible for the people of Thar to withstand and survive long periods of drought in the past. The assessment report therefore came up with two major recommendations (Appendix – 2: Recommendations of the 1987 Drought and Famine Assessment Report).

Download the full report here: Evaluation of the Thar Rural Development Project [PDF, 4.4 MB]