Pakistan: Sindh's Tharparkar reports rise in suicide deaths

Islamabad: Tharparkar district of Pakistan's Sindh province has reported a rise in suicide deaths, with media reports indicating that 122 people died due to suicide in the district from January to September.

Despite having a population of 1,778,407 people and being spread across seven talukas, Tharparkar has limited access to specialised mental health services. People living in remote villages of the district face difficulty in getting medical and psychological support due to the shortage of staff, the lack of adequate healthcare facilities and poor road infrastructure.

Reports have indicated that two trained professionals have been appointed in Tharparkar by Pakistan's Health Department to address mental health concerns of the people in the district, according to a report in The Friday Times.

Recurring droughts have further increased the problems faced by people in Tharparkar. The majority of households in rural areas of Tharparkar rely on rainfall and livestock for their livelihoods, leaving them vulnerable to water shortages, climate change, crop failure, and the loss of animals. People affected by drought in Tharparkar are often forced to migrate to barrage areas in Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, and Badin districts in search of agricultural work and daily‑wage labour, disrupting family life and community relationships in the district.

Men in Tharparkar often migrate alone in search of jobs. However, whole families also sometimes leave villages during droughts and famine‑like conditions in search of drinking water, food, and livelihood opportunities. This displacement creates mental stress, insecurity, and uncertainty among the people of Tharparkar regarding their future.

Children in Tharparkar are among the worst impacted by poverty and migration, as frequent displacement affects their education, and financial problems often force them to leave school and do jobs to support their families, according to the report in The Friday Times.

Women in Tharparkar also face problems as they have to travel long distances to bring drinking water, gather firewood, and support their families through agricultural labour, such as cotton harvesting. In addition to these responsibilities, poverty leads to a healthcare crisis, and in some cases women in Tharparkar also face physical and psychological stress due to domestic violence.

"Although suicide is an issue and cannot be attributed to a single cause, persistent poverty, unemployment, family conflicts, social pressures, displacement and inadequate mental health support may contribute to psychological distress in Tharparkar. However, the specific factors behind the reported increase in suicide in Tharparkar require research rather than assumptions. A comparison with data from previous years in Tharparkar is also necessary to establish the actual trend," Ali Nawaz Rahimoo mentioned in The Friday Times report.

According to the report, the Sindh government must strengthen health services in Tharparkar by appointing psychiatrists, psychologists and counsellors at hospitals and rural health centres. The government should also introduce mobile mental health teams and referral services to reach people where transport facilities and healthcare access remain limited. In addition, the authorities should organise community awareness sessions to promote health literacy, reduce stigma and help people recognise early signs of mental stress.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]