Extractive and wasteful water use has created a severe crisis for the Indus delta, where the Indus River flows into the Arabian Sea. This natural confluence of outflowing freshwater and the sea not only prevents sea water intrusion, but it has also created an interlinked system of swamps, streams and mangrove forests. This delta ecosystem provides a unique habitat to a diverse range of species, including migratory birds and one of the world's rarest dolphins, the blind Indus River dolphin, all of which are currently under great stress.

The delta covers an area of over 40,000 sq-km, which makes it the world's fifth largest delta system, containing within it the seventh largest mangrove forest system. The Indus delta is mostly located in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan with a small portion in the Kutch region of India.

The Indus delta has been under stress for quite a while now. The British constructed vast canal networks on the Indus, turning arid or semi-desert tracts into........

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