Danboro Village, Umerkot district in Thar desert of Sindh

Danboro Village 

A model village in Sindh's desert (in Umerkot district) with all facilities, but scant usage

There is a village in Umerkot in Thar desert (on the way between Umerkot and Khokhrapar), which has almost every basic civic facility including safe drinking water (through RO plant) besides water supply through pipes, a basic health unit (BHU) with a good and new building, a primary school, a middle school, electricity, a community centre and a metalled road. I have never seen all such facilities in a small village like this, but it is true that Village Danboro has all. This is a real model village. All the people belong to the Samo family and Muslims.

The newly constructed beautiful building of Basic Health Unit.

 

See the political influence of this development scheme
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But the secrete behind all such developments in a remote village in the desert is very interesting. This is the village of once a driver and now a manager of Addi Faryal Talpur, sister of President Asif Ali Zardari. This is also a pride for the villagers that Hamid Samo is the servant of the highly influential family of the country.

Picture shows the once driver with Mrs. Faryal Talpur.

The pictures are placed at the house of Humid Samo.

All "chamatkar" development has happened thanks to the personal efforts of the influential person of the village, but such a powerful person is also unable to bring doctors at the BHU and teachers in the schools, thanks to poor governance of PPP for the last five years. The BHU's building was inaugurated early this year, but it has still not started functioning properly. Separate residences are provided for the doctor adjacent to the medical centre, but no doctor bothers to live in them, leave alone come on a daily basis to provide medical facilities to these people. Medicines and other medical equipment including oxygen gas cylinders are lying unattended in the hospital's vacant rooms, and even basic furniture is still not provided. Villagers told a doctor sometimes comes for a few hours in the BHU, whereas the unit is run by paramedical staff. There are nine member of staff in the BHU.

What is the use of an Oxygen cylinder in such a situation in a room in BHU

Medicines are lying here and there in such a pathetic condition.

Residential quarters are provided for doctors, but they are not willing to live here.

Similar is the situation in the two schools. Villagers told, there is only one teacher in the primary school and three teachers are coming to the middle school for teaching to the students of the village. You can imagine the standard of education in such a situation.

Primary school

Middle school

Interestingly there is a Reverse Osmosis (RO) plant in the village along with a diesel-operated generator to provide safe drinking water to the people, but it is not functioning these days. The villagers are provided water through the water supply pipeline.

RO Plant

There are two separate community centres in this village, one of them has been recently constructed, thanks to the driver of the most influential person in Sindh. You can see the use of the new community centre in the picture below. Interestingly the Community Centre is located adjacent to the residence of Hamid Samo, which can only be used as an Otaq. An older community centre was already there in the village, but of no use.

Outside view of the Community Centre, the blue building is the residence of Hamid Samo.

   

This can be one use of a community centre in a village.

This is also a community centre building in the village.

 The villagers are very proud of having a son, who is the servant of the king's family. The house of that person is really an oasis in the desert. Many village youths are employed as government servants, of course, because of their influential personalities.

A residence with an air conditioner and geyser, which the city people also do not have. 

I was very happy but amazed to see such a model village, where besides all basic civic facilities one can see a beautiful valley-like view if one stands at the gate of the newly constructed BHU in the village. The canopy-typed huts of the village with a metalled road give a panorama look at the village. God bless this small village and its dwellers.

A panoramic view

Villagers told a Lahore-based organisation is constructing a mosque for the villagers, who all are Muslims.

Cattle are an inevitable part of rural life..

Simultaneously, this village is a classical example and an eye opener for all of us that how development is prioritise in our province, where those who have some links with the political families can easily get access to the development, whereas a huge majority of the population is deprived of even some basic facilities like safe drinking water, sewerage and primary healthcare etc.

View all pictures of the village: https://picasaweb.google.com/108561377360783501595/Danburo_Umerkot_Aug62013?authuser=0&feat=directlink