An elderly fisherman, Maula Bux Mallah, watches from his small grocery shop as Manchhar Lake's vast expanse turns to cracked earth this summer. The lake, once a vibrant freshwater ecosystem, has received little to no inflows from its usual sources, including natural waterways, streams, and the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD), now known as the Right Bank Outfall Drain-I (RBOD-I). For months, the lake bed has remained dry, with fishermen's wooden boats now lining the embankment instead of floating on water. Main Developments Wastewater from RBOD-I, which typically allows fishermen to catch low-value fish selling for Rs100 to Rs200 per kg, is not reaching the lake. Rice transplantation underway in upper Sindh's Larkana and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts is diverting the flow upstream, leaving the lake dry. "Even the MNVD wastewater is not entering the lake," Mallah said, noting that the water generated during rice transplantation eventually enters the drain and ends up in the lake. The irrigation department measures the lake's level at 108.4 feet, but Mallah insists it is no more than 105 feet. Official records show the level could rise to 123 feet if the lake received flows similar to the 2022 floods. The last time the Indus River fed the lake was in 2024, temporarily raising its levels within its banks. Read also: Pakistan's IT Exports Surge 21% to Record $4.6bn in FY26 Meanwhile, the RBOD-II project, designed in the early 2000s to bypass Manchhar Lake and carry effluent to a creek in Thatta, remains incomplete after two decades. Started in 2001 with an estimated cost of Rs14 billion and scheduled for completion in 2006, the project has seen its cost revised from Rs29.2 billion to Rs62 billion. Work has been suspended since 2015, with Rs40 billion already spent, according to a briefing by irrigation officials at the July 8 meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly. Background Manchhar Lake was once a major freshwater lake, replenished by the Indus River during every flood season through the Aral Wah. Over the years, declining Indus flows have degraded its ecosystem, depriving it of the once-thriving economy and biodiversity that supported fishing communities. The lake also received large flocks of migratory birds in winter, but fewer arrive now. The RBOD project involves three parties: Sindh, Balochistan, and Wapda. Wapda has handed over the RBOD-III component to Balochistan but wants Sindh to take over RBOD-I/MNVD. Sindh has refused to take over RBOD-II in its present form, effectively stalling the project. Allegations of embezzlement have led to criminal proceedings against Sindh irrigation officials. The Nai Gaj Dam, linked with Manchhar, was started in 2012 but has remained incomplete due to litigation in superior courts. Its gross storage capacity is 0.30 MAF, and it includes a component to supply 50 cusecs of freshwater to Manchhar through a 52km-long pipeline to help revive its ecology. The dam is also designed to irrigate 28,000 acres of land and support a 4.2MW powerhouse. Why It Matters The drying of Manchhar Lake threatens the livelihoods of fishing communities that depend on its biodiversity. Families are being forced to migrate to different parts of Sindh and Balochistan in search of work. The lake's ability to irrigate agricultural land through its natural system is also compromised, affecting local food production. The stalled RBOD-II project has wasted billions of rupees, with a third cost revision potentially pushing the total toward Rs1 trillion if work resumes. The failure to complete the drainage infrastructure leaves Manchhar and the communities around it bearing the environmental and economic costs of decades of mismanagement. What's Next The PAC has called for hiring consultants to resolve issues related to RBOD-II's alignment. The Sindh government insists on a new alignment for the project, but no agreement has been reached with Wapda. A Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) bench on July 13 set aside Sindh High Court orders on the Nai Gaj Dam project, directing the contractor to complete remaining work strictly according to the original contract, the arbitral award, and a September 21, 2021 memorandum of understanding involving Wapda. The last completion deadline for the dam was June 2025. Sindh Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro led a 13-member delegation on July 16 to meet Wapda Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Mohammad Saeed in Lahore to discuss water, food, and energy security challenges. The two sides deliberated on operational and maintenance issues related to Wapda projects in Sindh, particularly drainage infrastructure. Whether this meeting yields progress for communities dependent on Manchhar Lake remains uncertain.