Monitoring Desk Fishermen in Keamari of the city have started using plastic drums to make affordable small boats for them. Children and young men can be seen paddling these boats in Bhit Shah, Baba Bhit and Salehabad. Many of us are not able to afford wooden boats that can cost millions of rupees, a fisherman said when he was asked about the reason. These boats have no engines and save the fishermen the cost of diesel too. Fishermen use their hands to paddle them. Zafar, who makes these boats, said that the process takes four to five hours. The total cost is around Rs2,000. “I use a plastic drum, which costs Rs1,500, and then uses nut bolts to piece it together,” he said. Zafar makes three boats every day depending on the demand. Such boats are commonly used by children and teenagers. “These plastic boats suit us a lot, we go fishing for three to four hours and are able to catch enough fish to meet our expenses for one day,” another man said. The fishermen, however, say that these boats are quite dangerous because they aren’t strong enough and can easily flip over. “We can’t travel in deep waters in these,” another man shared. “Yes, these plastic boats are very dangerous but we can’t beg on the streets,” said Shafiq Shar, a fisherman. The fishermen have asked the government to take notice and provide them with good quality boats.
