DADU: Small dams have decreased salinity levels in groundwater and made it sweet, reduced impact of flash floods, significantly recharged aquifers and provided ample drinking water for humans as well as for subsistence agriculture and livestock in Kohistan belt, according to a World Bank climate change expert.

The expert Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, who was part of World Bank support mission led by Task Team leader for Sindh Resilience Project and Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project Ahsan Tehsin and members, said during the team’s visit of the small dams sites at mole-I and mole- II in Kohistan, Jamshoro district, on Monday that small dams had a positive impact not only on the lives and livelihood of local community but also on the ecology of the area.

Sheikh said at the inauguration ceremony of a water supply scheme at Tero Khan Khaskheli village near Kamal Shodo small dam built by the World Bank that Sindh had faced heavy rainfall and flash floods last year after a long span of drought of nine years.

He said that before the construction of small dams, people faced hardships for drinking water for humans, livestock and farmland due to frequent droughts in Kohistan but after the construction of dams, people had become prosperous. “Water was being saved and was used properly after the dams’ construction,” he said.

Nasir Ali Panhwar, social safeguard specialist of the WB-funded Sindh Resilience Project of the irrigation department, said that drinking water was one of the serious problems of the area. Women had to travel long distances to fetch drinking water and the bank provided the water supply scheme to the area on the residents’ request on under the WBs’ community support initiative, he said.

He said that the scheme would supply a total of 8,160 gallons of water to the villages of Tero Khan Khaskheli, Saindad Khaskheli and Mosa Khaskheli. The scheme was solar powered, he said adding the small dams at mole-I and mole-II were damaged in heavy rains and hill torrents last year which were also repaired.

The mission met local communities during the visit and exchanged views with locals who, led by Mohammad Bux and Shahnawaz, said the pattern of crop had changed after the construction of dams in the area.

They said that hundreds of acres of farmland that remained barren was now cultivating multiple crops, including vegetables and fruits which were being supplied to Karachi.

They said that groundwater, which was found at 300 to 320 feet depth earlier, was now available at 80 to 120 feet depth in the area and it had also turned sweet. It was highly saltish earlier, they said.

Acting project director of the project, Shakil Ahmed, said that 14 small dams had been constructed in the first phase and 56 had been constructed in phase-II in Jamshoro, Dadu, Thatta, Tharparparkar and Malir districts.

He said that ecology and economy of the area depended on rain and when the rain did not fall, the people of Kohistan migrated to barrage areas and returned after it rained in their native areas.

Mohammad Ibrahim Daud Poto, additional director of the project, said that catchment area of Upper Mole-I, was 83.26 square miles and its design discharge was 26,180 cusecs.

He said that Mole-II dam was completed in July 2021 and its catchment area was spread over 87.88 square miles.

Published in Dawn, May 23rd, 2023