HUNDREDS of houses have been damaged after the recent rains in Balochistan, while roads and highways were blocked owing to snowfall, affecting transport to Karachi, Chaman and Killa Saifullah.

An emergency has been imposed in Killa Abdullah. Rain and snow improved the water table and climate but it is no permanent cure for the water-starved province.

Balochistan faces scarcity of water and drought more than any other province. Drought in the early 2000 killed hundreds of people and livestock. The water table has descended more than 400 feet in the last two decades.

Killa Abdullah has lost agriculture and farming because of heavy load-shedding. Only a few farmers can afford solar-powered tube wells. After green lands turned into barren lands, a few small, shallow and unsupervised dams were constructed, which are now empty.

The ancient Persian water system of karez is now a thing of the past. A large population has migrated to cities like Quetta where people struggle for shelter and livelihood.

Governments in the last two decades did not develop any plans to revive agriculture and farming. No dams were built to take advantage of rain from frequent western depressions in winters. Rainfall can be the main source of irrigation but this opportunity is lost every year and no water is stored for the summers.

The soil texture has weekend and infertility has increased. The whole region is turning into a desert. There are no watchdogs to look upon the newly-built dams. Building dams are the only solution to these issues. But who will build them?

Naseem Ullah Piralizai
Quetta

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2019