QUETTA (By Ashrafuddin Pirzada) Senior Balochistan officials and environmentalists demand Rs700 billion for the construction of small and medium size dams to cope with the water crises as water-table is alarmingly dropping down in Balochistan every year.
Briefing a media team from Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at Quetta Rural Support Program (BRSP) office Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nadir Gul Barech and Balochistan environment department Director General (DG) Tariq Zehri said that beside the other reasons Russian war in Afghanistan and internal instability severely disturbed the Balochistan’s environment.
They told that in 32 districts of Balochistan they had more than 3200 Karezes (a chain of wells enter connected) but only two of them are functional which are not enough to water crops.
“The years-long Internal instability and influx of thousands of Afghan refugees caused severe damages to the pleasant environment in Balochistan”, said Barech. He adds that they recorded only 55 millimeter rain per annum which is not enough to reduce even the years long drought in Balochistan.
He said 50 percent of the total population living under the poverty line; while 7.4 percent of total land in Balochistan is cultivated as most of the farmers in the province stopped growing crops due to unavailability of water.
Balochistan Environment Department Director General (DG), Tariq Zehri, said if they construct two small dams in Subokzay and Mirani districts in Quetta could change life of the indigenous people. He says they have 74 percent of poverty which is a dangerous indicator for the government.
Demanding Rs,700 billion, Zehri said they can overcome the water crises if they construct 873 small and medium sizes dams in Balochistan in the coming ten years. Adding that if they save 32 to 40 percent of the total rain water and construct check dams could bring water table up in Balochistan.
Zehri said they get 17 to 18 feet snowfall in the past years but in last winter season they recorded few inches snow in Balochistan.
Deputy Commissioner of district Pishin Major (R) Aurangzeb Badeni said potentials in agriculture and water management sectors of Balochistan are outstanding as compare to rest of the country. He said “I believe that Barani and Check dams are the ultimate solution to bring up back water table in Balochistan”.
The Zaghoon villagers including Muhammad Mir Agha and Abdullah Akhun said for the first time they see a ray of hope in their village. “We are happy that when the dam is completed it would give us drinking water and for agriculture purposes” they further added.
