QUETTA, Aug 31: Balochistan Minister for Fisheries Mir Mohammad Asghar Rind has demanded that water for drinking and irrigation should be provided from Mirani dam to Dasht tehsil of Kech district.

Speaking to newsmen here on Thursday, he said about 150,000 people were facing problems due to shortage of drinking water in six union councils of the tehsil and two union councils of the Gwadar district since the construction of the dam.

“About 200,000 acres of land have been rendered barren by the dam on the Dasht river,” said the minister. He said that people in eight union councils used to get drinking water from the river and farmers produced crops before the construction of the dam.

He said that compensation had been paid to some people, but residents of six union councils had not been paid anything.—Staff Correspondent