On December 19, 2003, in the line of duty I visited this area along with teams from the Asian Development Bank, Sindh Irrigation Department's experts and the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA).

I was travelling with Saeed Memon, a photographer, and as we arrived at the flood protected bund, dust welcomed us.

Instead of a broad and large river Indus we saw a small irrigation tributary flowing just as someone idly slumbers. Suddenly from the corner of our eyes we saw people in boats which resembled floating homes. Immediately I became curious. We hopped on to a boat, as our inhibitions ebbed away, and we made our way to the island where the boats were just used as 'floating homes'.

The scenes before us were breathtaking and we sat there entranced. We saw a young girl carrying wood on her head heading towards the boat, and a female relative limped up to her and adjusted the weight on her head, since she realized the problem the child was facing. At this spectacle someone commented how parents were compelled to place such a burden on their offspring. After loading the wood from the nearby jungle, the family moved on to join the cluster of boats standing in the river.

Ghous Bakhsh Mirbahar, who has been living on boats since childhood said that though the fishing catch has reduced, they have no other alternative profession. Fishing is no more a profitable business, he said, as the fish in the river are getting scarcer.

These floating homes, constructed in the boats with all the essential facilities, are spread throughout the river bank at the villages of Akil, Abad, Burira, Shahani, Sharifpur, Mitho and Khuhro, among others. All of these are in the Larkana district and each consists of 10 to 30 boats.

People living here chop wood and take it to larger villages and towns to sell, using these boats as the mode of transport.Mirabahar also dispelled the impression that dacoits have been bothering these families.

These villagers catch fish and sell them in Naduero and Larkana, but complained that the contractors charge Rs 2,500 for each boat annually. They added that the government was allotting different patches and portions of the river to contractors who in turn burden them unnecessarily with heavy charges.

Considering the fact that the fishing industry under the given conditions is posing all sorts of problems, why not think of switching over to another business, I asked Ali Hassan, an old fisherman. He said that as they are acquainted with this system, they do not think about finding new avenues of earning. Living nearer the river isles and towns closer to ferry points means these fishermen in boats lead tough lives.

Responding to my query about how a pregnant lady would be taken to the hospital in emergency, and at the time of delivery, the villagers said: "we are accustomed to such situations, and if it happens close to a dispensary in the village we take them there." The use of traditional medicine is quite common they said, and added that one midwife always remains in each fleet of boats, who handles emergencies well.

Hashim Mirbahar said that their diet consists of fish, birds and sometimes they buy vegetables from a nearby village, or bring it from the kutcha field, cultivated by strong landlords. He added that their children are good swimmers, adding that they realized any untoward incident could happen at any time.

Regarding dacoits, he said that Dinoo Shaikh and Zamoo Mirbahar were the dangerous dacoits who had ruled the area. They were killed when Muhammad Bachal Sangri and Nadir Khoso were the DIG and SSP of Larkana, respectively. Mutbar Ali Khokhar, a civilian from the area who fought with them, said that the death of Dinoo Shaikh had brought comparative peace, but the subsequent growth of the Nazroo Narejo gang had left the area infested once again with dacoits.

Ali Hassan said, "I loaded my boat and material in a truck and moved to Iranian seawaters to fish, when I felt there were meager fish in the river, and bigger risks of dacoits. Near Iran there was plenty of fish, but being a stranger in that area, I could not stay for more than a short period."

Although he has travelled a lot he is still opposed to girls' education."Our customs and traditions do not permit girls' education, it only favours boys' education which is imparted to them sporadically when they happen to be near a village."

I asked the villagers if they had ever been confronted with any mishap or eventuality while living in boats. They said yes, and in the same breath they added that when the river was at its peak in June-July they had to face storms. During these seasons there are many times when several boats with floating homes vanish.

They added that although they face catastrophes, the government never turns a sympathetic ear towards them. "Don't you think that we are eager to change our lives under the prevailing circumstances?" they asked.

The villagers continued their account and said each person has to pay five rupees to get to the other bank, while for ferrying wood the charges are even higher. Whereas those who use jeeps as transport are few in number. These are used by politicians and other influential people like Nisar Khuhro, Mumtaz Bhutto, Pasha Khuhro, Shafqat Unnar and others when they go to the kutcha to look after their cultivated land.

When asked to describe their ceremonies, like weddings, they said that in line with customs, all rituals are carried out. However, with the passage of time almost half of the families have shifted to towns.

Due to meager earnings many fishermen have even moved to Mangla Dam and other areas, but some are also returning.

Everyone I met said that this is their way of life - and they live and die here on the boats. Living with the harsh realities of life, they have made up their minds to stay on the river banks year in and year out. As Hemingway wrote in his novel, The old man and the sea, "A man can be destroyed, but cannot be defeated."