QUETTA, Sept 23: Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani has warned of severe water crisis in the next five years if steps were not taken to build more water reservoirs.

He was speaking on Saturday at the opening ceremony of a project on artificial recharging of underground water level jointly launched by the IUCN and the government of the Netherlands at the Balozai delay action dam in Khanozai area.

The governor said that to overcome water shortage more delay action dams should be built in the province.

He said water could be saved through adopting trickle irrigation system.

“Over 200 big and small dams have been constructed during the last two years in Balochistan,” he said adding that 200 more dams were being constructed.

He said that the government had planned to build 10 more big dams in the province.

The governor said that the federal government was spending Rs3 billion on trickle irrigation system in Balochistan and under the programme the government had offered 70 per cent subsidy to the farmers.

He said that by the trickle system water wastage could be saved and more lands could be irrigated.