Daily Times

Our world has been evolving at a very rapid pace; bringing more challenges to the plate. From climate change urgency to the Russia-Ukraine war, the world has been trapped in a bubble, trying to figure out a way out in a very limited time. Similar are the current circumstances in Pakistan. It has been struggling to solve multiple challenges, such as predominantly the state’s economic and political crisis, overpopulation, and climate change. However, this essay consults with the urgent crisis in the country, particularly in Balochistan that poses a significant threat and requires immediate attention. If not handled properly, the water crisis can lead to many far-reaching repercussions that will be extremely difficult to handle considering the state already has more than enough on its plate.

In addition, the fact that the water crisis, predominantly affiliated with climate change, is represented under the notion of water shortage, can be a little misleading, especially when the country has been facing constant heavy rainfalls followed by floods, particularly in the regions of Sindh and Balochistan. Rather in the context of recent times, it is a problem of mismanagement on a broader scale. Hence, if managed properly, we can conserve water and sustain our existence as a society.

On the contrary, if the current path of negligence is continued, the province, along with the rest of the country, won’t last and will collapse by the end of 2024 in terms of water scarcity.

If managed properly, we can conserve water and sustain our existence.

On a brighter note, the analysis of the recent weather trends in Pakistan observes a rise in rainfall. In January 2021, Pakistan recorded below-normal rainfall by precisely -59 per cent and Balochistan, on the other hand, showed lower results, reaching -100 per cent below normal rainfall. Within two years, the weather conditions altered dramatically and have ever since been elevating and becoming more intense. The rainfall recorded in January 2022 was above normal overall in the country whereas in Balochistan it was shown to receive 166 per cent rainfall. With that, it was recorded as the second wettest month over the last 62 years.

Hence, an opportunity at hand, World Perma Culture has illustrated and explained several ways to preserve the rainfall water, which can be functional in areas, such as Quetta, and other relevant cities of Balochistan given the recent frequency of rainfalls in the region. Some of the mentioned methods include rain barrel systems, keyline design, imprinting: rainwater harvesting technology and gabions. A rain barrel system involves water harvesting by using gravity to accumulate water from rooftops and store them in barrels. The gabion method is used for dryland restoration and rainwater harvesting useful for the rural areas of Balochistan. Whereas in the Keyline design structure, water is conserved and then used in the dry season. Finally imprinting is used for the regeneration of barren lands.

The potential of the above-mentioned methods can be seen in the recent development in Karachi, where a citizen has tried and tested a very simple mechanism of harvesting. According to the claims, the successful project on a smaller scale, which is currently functioning in thirty different locations, has saved up to 20 million gallons of water accumulated through rainfall on a very economical budget.

If implemented in Balochistan, not only does it cater to the problem of water shortage but also addresses the depletion of underground water. It will divert the civic attention from constructing borings underground and exploiting the remaining water resources towards a more sustainable, practical, and economical solution.

While heavy rainfalls present a window of opportunity for the implementation of favourable policies to conserve water, timely action is crucial to address this challenge, before we bounce back to the old weather conditions, which are threatening the survival of the citizens.

Some of the policies include our government’s need for initiatives regarding urban landscape planning to incorporate flood mitigation in regions prone to floods. Moreover, it also needs to add green infrastructure to the newly developing areas of Balochistan, such as new housing schemes, commercial areas, etc.

In addition, Balochistan also needs to focus on the quality construction of dams, as we have seen previously on how seven dams were demolished due to heavy floods in the previous year 2022. All because the quality was compromised. Therefore, along with other imperatives, the government needs to ensure the quality of dams to be constructed otherwise it is just a waste of resources and time.

The writer is Research Assistant (Balochistan Think Tank Network).