‘Moklani – The Last Mohanas’ is a upcoming documentary exploring the uncertain future of the Mohanas, an Indigenous community on Lake Manchar in Pakistan’s Sindh. Once supported by the lake’s clean waters and abundant fish, they now face threats from pollution, mismanaged water, and climate change. The film follows figures like Akbar, a fisherman torn between staying on the shrinking lake or moving to land, and Hakim Zadi, whose work underscores the vital but overlooked role of Mohana women. Through reporting and storytelling, Moklani shows us how environmental degradation, cultural displacement, and economic hardship are reshaping the community. Ultimately, it raises a vital question for climate-vulnerable communities in South Asia: what happens when their ecosystems begin to vanish?
Located west of the Indus in Pakistan's Sindh province, Lake Manchar is the largest freshwater lake in the country and one of the largest inland waterbodies in South Asia. For generations, the Mohanas have lived here in floating wooden homes, earning them the moniker 'The Boat People'. Their history can be traced back to the ancient Indus Valley civilisation, and their traditions — from fishing to boat-making to oral storytelling — have evolved around Manchar’s water. But today, the lake that has shaped their identity is rapidly deteriorating, placing the community at a critical crossroads.
‘Moklani – The Last Mohanas’, a Jackson Awards-winning documentary by filmmaker Jawad Sharif, chronicles this moment with a clear-eyed, deeply reported look at the environmental and social pressures reshaping life on the lake. Directed with a masterful blend of observational rigour and visual restraint, the film positions the Mohanas’ story within a broader narrative of ecological decline affecting marginalised communities across South Asia.
Manchar has experienced a significant transformation over recent decades. Pollution from agricultural runoff and industrial waste has contaminated the lake, while climate-related changes in rainfall and river flows have further destabilised its ecosystem. Once-plentiful fish stocks have declined sharply, waterborne diseases have become common, and the shallowing water levels have forced many families to reconsider their futures on Manchar.
These intertwined crises form the backdrop to the film’s central characters. Akbar, a lifelong boatman who has lived his entire life on the water, represents a generation that has known no other home. His dilemma —whether to remain on the shrinking lake or migrate to land in search of work — captures the stark choices facing the community. His story underlines a broader phenomenon in the region: younger Mohanas are increasingly inclined to leave, wary of a future tied to an environment that can no longer sustain them.
Hakim Zadi, another key figure in the film, offers a window into the gendered dimension of the crisis. Mohana women have long played a vital but often overlooked role in maintaining both livelihoods and culture. They fish, row, cook, repair nets, and raise children while navigating the challenged brought by contaminated water and declining income. Through her story, Moklani highlights how environmental collapse disproportionately burdens women, who shoulder the daily work of sustaining family life in worsening conditions.
The documentary is based on extensive field research and long-term community involvement. It avoids romanticising the Mohanas’ history or portraying their current situation solely as tragedy. Instead, it places their experience within a growing body of evidence demonstrating how climate change, pollution, and poor water management policies are transforming traditional livelihoods across South Asia — one of the regions most affected by climate change because of its high vulnerability, large impacted population, and increasing frequency of climate-related disasters like heatwaves, cyclones, and floods.
The film draws its title, ‘Moklani’, from the local word for ‘farewell’, which reflects the uncertainty of what lies ahead for the Mohanas. While some continue to fight to preserve their cultural identity, even as the lake becomes increasingly inhospitable, others see migration as the only viable path forward. The documentary captures these tensions with nuance, presenting the Mohanas as citizens navigating difficult decisions in real time, rather than anachronistic relics of a disappearing world.
In documenting the Mohanas’ struggle, ‘Moklani – The Last Mohanas’ raises a broader question with implications that go far beyond Manchar Lake: what happens when an ecosystem that has supported a community for centuries can no longer survive? The answer, the film suggests, will shape not just the future of the Mohanas but the trajectory of climate-affected communities — such as the honeygatherers of the Sundarbans and the satras of the Majuli island — across the subcontinent.
Watch the trailer for ‘Moklani – The Last Mohanas’ here:
Follow Jawed Sharif here.
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