The Federal government has prepared a project "Balochistan Small Scale Irrigation", which will be completed with the total cost of Rs 6.6 billion with the co-operation of the World Bank.
According to official sources, the overall development objective is to help the Balochistan province to better manage its scarce water resources for rural development and poverty reduction through restoring and increasing water storage; increasing water productivity through a combination of engineering, management and agricultural steps and building the local capacity and formulating a plan for sustainable surface and ground water resources development and watershed management.
In a project report, Mumtaz Ali Khan, chief engineer (North) Balochistan Irrigation and Power Department, stated: "Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan's economy and one of the key engines of overall economic growth. Agriculture today is estimated to contribute about 25 percent of GDP and employs more than 65 percent of the labour force."
He said: "Agriculture is the mainstay of Balochistan's economy, accounting for some 60 percent of the provincial gross domestic product, and employing around 67 percent of the labour force. Crops contribute about 62 percent of commodity gross farm income and livestock 38 percent. The most important products are: millet, wheat, apples, vegetables, grapes, milk and meat.
Balochistan Irrigation System, with a total of irrigated area of 1.5 million hectare (ha), consists of two different types of systems: perennial (37pc ) and partially irrigated (63pc).
The perennial system can be grouped into two major categories: the Indus gravity fed, which irrigates annually around 230,000 ha and the small-scale irrigation systems about 320,000 ha. The small scale irrigation systems include: units supplied from karezees or infiltration galleries, bunds (small dams) and weirs in rivers and tube wells or open wells, he added.
Balochistan annual surface water allocation based on the National Water Accord is about 5 billion m3. Groundwater is being used to augment the surface water. Uncontrolled installation of public and private tube wells has resulted in groundwater mining.
This unsustainable use of groundwater has severely affected karez flows. Consequently, the hydrological water balance can no longer be maintained in many basins, he added.
Mumtaz Ali Khan mentioned that one of the high priority basins selected for restoring hydrological balance is the Bund Kushdil Khan, located in the Pishin district north of Quetta.
KK Bund area was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1982 under the Balochistan Wildlife Protection Act, 1974. It used to be the only large water body around Quetta before it dried up.
Balochistan is the least developed province in Pakistan facing both water and food security challenges. The World Bank, having operated several decades in Pakistan, is obliged to support the government's strategy in upgrading its water resources management and increasing agricultural productivity.
The Bank's involvement will help ensure that: (i) a systematic approach is adopted in the design of the project that addresses both the immediate and long-term issues in the irrigation sector; (ii) a comprehensive package of hardware (physical) component and software (reform) component be built into the project to ensure the sustainability of the project; (iii) there is adequate consultation and participation of the local community, and any environmental and social concerns are properly addressed; and (iv) the project works and facilities are procured and constructed with good quality and within the budget and on schedule.
The lessons learnt from other similar projects in Pakistan and elsewhere will be incorporated in the project design to ensure its success.