Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has decided to construct three new dams in Tank and Dera Ismail Khan districts to refill the ground water level.
The new dams included Tank Zam Dam, Chodwan Zam Dam and Daraban Dam would be constructed on priority basis as the region has facing water shortage, said an official source.
After construction these dams an estimated 109,721 acres of barren land would be irrigate and 25.5 MW of electricity would also be generated as well. These dams would also bring an agricultural revolution in KP’s improvised zone, besides ensuring food security and creating job opportunities for the local people.
Gomal Zam Dam, South Waziristan, one of the biggest #water reservoirs in #Pakistan source of #agriculture for 200000 acres lands in DIKHAN & Tank, #Green revolution, created #jobs #foodsecurity in KP, it's lake resembles a Flying #Dragon @ImranKhanPTI @IMMahmoodKhan @aminattock https://t.co/7gCbAWWAeq pic.twitter.com/zwXzAgpIRf
— Faisal Amin Khan (@FaisalAminKhan) January 2, 2022
By using water efficient models the command area can be enhanced and would help in achieving self-sufficiency in food sector as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The decision of the provincial government was highly lauded by the people of Tank and DI Khan who were of the view that would highly usher a new era of prosperity in the area.
Pakistan as a water-scarce country
Pakistan is one of the world’s most populous countries where the number of people living per square kilometer is increasing with its increasing population. This uncontrolled rise in population is creating a lot of and numerous types of problems for the country. One of them is water insecurity and scarcity.
According to IMF, Pakistan ranked third among the countries facing acute water shortages. This is obvious when we compare ourselves with the Falken Mark Indicator which is a relation between available water and population.
Read more: Addressing the Mismanagement of Water Resources
In Pakistan per capita per year water availability was 5260 m3 in 1951, which reduced to 902 m3 at present. It is projected that this will further reduce to 787 m3 in 2025. Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) says that water shortage in Pakistan was 11% in 2004 and this will increase in 2925 up to 31%.
PCRWR conducted many surveys and found that 80% of our drinking water which is provided to the public is unfit for drinking. The most important pollutants detected in drinking water are Arsenic and Naegleria (brain-eating bacteria).
They analyzed samples of water from a total of 29 sources and 20 out of them were found toxic for human health. So in Pakistan, the available drinking water is also of poor quality.
Many factors are responsible for this deteriorating situation of water in Pakistan. Most important is the high population growth rate and obviously, this needs to be controlled. The second one is the mismanagement of present water resources.
Read more: Pakistan’s Real Challenge: Water Crisis
The main sources of water in Pakistan are rivers, glaciers, lakes, rainwater and aquifers. Water from the River Indus and its major tributaries is not used to feed urban needs. The potable water is supplied from the lakes, dams and aquifers.
In most of the urban areas, to fulfill water demand, underground water is pumped at large scales which is more than their capacity and its result is the falling of underground water table at an alarming rate.
APP with additional input by GVS News Desk