LAST year, the enire city of Skardu in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), flanked by River Indus and the Satpara Dam, grappled with extreme water scarcity for about five to six months. The sorry state of affairs was an inevitable result of inefficient policies, bureaucratic inadequacies, negligence concerning the climate crisis, and rampant urbanisation.

In view of the severity of the crisis, a local organisation had called for the diversion of Shatung Nala to ensure water availability throughout the year. Usually, the Satpara Dam, the city’s main water source, relies on water bodies from Deosai. However, the water flow has been decreasing over the years due to reduced snowfall in winters. This phenomenon, combined with the increasing population of the city, has plunged Skardu into a water crisis of serious proportions.

Currently, this unprecedented situation has sparked a wave of interest among the locals regarding the Shatung Nala diversion, but the authorities do not seem to be interested at all. While the project may take several years to complete, there is another stream, the Fiyalung Nala, whose diversion could be completed within a maximum of two years.

After a door-to-door campaign was launched to raise awareness as well as the necessary funds, an amount of Rs100 million was collected for the project that is estimated to cost Rs1.27 billion.

So far, work on a 3km road has been completed. Since the site is 14,000 feet above the sea level, continuous harsh weather conditions drastically limit work hours, and no activity can be undertaken for about six months of the year owing to inclement weather conditions.

The GB government has recently shown interest in the project, and has sent it to Islamabad for the approval of the federal government under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). It will be nice if that comes through.

As for the people of Skardu, they are rather determined, and donations are still being collected. All they want is to see the project completed with or without the government’s assistance. Period.

Sheheryar Aslam
Skardu

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2024