water crisis in balochistan essay

Water resources of Balochistan, Pakistan—a review

• Review Paper
• Published: 10 February 2021
• Volume 14 , article number  289 , ( 2021 )

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• Malik Muhammad Akhtar 1 ,
• Abida Dost Mohammad 1 ,
• Muhsan Ehsan 2 ,
• Rabia Akhtar 3 ,
• Jalil ur Rehman 3 &
• Zaira Manzoor 4  

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Water is extremely important for human survival and economic development globally. The largest province of Pakistan, Balochistan, is facing drought conditions, water scarcity and quality issues, which has badly affected community livelihood and health. The agriculture sector contributes over 26% gross domestic product (GDP) of the country and engages 44% of the total labour force. Due to the steep slope, the limited surface is ephemeral. So, groundwater is the only option for various activities in 90% area of the province while 10% area has waterlogging and extremely bad-quality groundwater issues. Major reasons for limited research work on water issues across the province were because of security, political and socio-economic issues. Previous studies depict that groundwater quality in the entire province contains a high concentration of various contaminants and pathogens. Pakistan Economic Survey revealed in a study that over 50 million people across the country do not have access to safe water, and over 0.25 million children died due to polluted water. More than 72% of the rural population in Balochistan depends on dug wells and streams for drinking water. This review paper covers various anthropogenic factors that contaminate groundwater and surface water, uses and available overall water resources in the province. Previous studies indicate the public in Balochistan is facing health issues from contaminants such as arsenic, fluoride, pathogenic, etc. in drinking water. In this article, spatial maps show the spatial variation of pollutants, water table and geological formations. Balochistan can be divided into two regions, south and north, containing different climate and water availability conditions. Basin wise water monitoring system could be the best option to sustain water resources, and low delta crops reduce stress on groundwater. The stakeholders and active community participation and serious effects could help to overcome water issues.

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Change history

30 march 2021.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-06940-8

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, which has provided financial support for this research work through the project Evaluation of the groundwater system and explore recharge zone of depleting aquifer at Quetta valley. No: 9474/Punjab/NRPU/R&D/HEC/2017

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Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Life Sciences & Informatics, Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta, 87300, Pakistan

Malik Muhammad Akhtar & Abida Dost Mohammad

Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bahria University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Muhsan Ehsan

Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering & Management Sciences, Quetta, 87300, Pakistan

Rabia Akhtar & Jalil ur Rehman

Centre of Economics Research, Shandong University Central Campus, Jinan, China

Zaira Manzoor

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Correspondence to Malik Muhammad Akhtar .

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Responsible Editor: Amjad Kallel

The original online version of this article was revised: The Government of Pakistan published a new political map which the authors’, unfortunately, forget to incorporate in this paper. According to Pakistan law it is forbidden to publish pervious map. So, it is requested to replace Fig. 1 with the new figure on an urgent basis

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Akhtar, M.M., Mohammad, A.D., Ehsan, M. et al. Water resources of Balochistan, Pakistan—a review. Arab J Geosci 14 , 289 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-06502-y

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Received : 29 February 2020

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Published : 10 February 2021

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-06502-y

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Your right to know Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Water Crisis in Balochistan

Fatima Qayyum Kakar

May 26, 2023

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).

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Balochistan’s water crises may last until 2025 - Seminar on world Water Day "Water and Food Security"

Each year on 22nd March, World Water Day is celebrated to create awareness on freshwater. It was declared as an international day of importance at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro. The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating March 22nd, 1993 as the first World Water Day.

Photo: IUCN Pakistan

This year’s theme for WWD was " Water and Food Security ".  In this connection, IUCN under its BPSD Programme along with UNICEF, Concern Pakistan, World Health Organisation, IDO and other partner organisations arranged a seminar at the Boy Scouts Association, Quetta where Balochistan based experts came together to share their ideas on crucial water-related issues. Speakers at the seminar warned that Balochistan province would suffer from water storage crisis until 2025.   Welcome remarks were delivered by Mr. Nasim Panezai, Manager, Concern Balochistan, who gave an overview of the water situation in Balochistan. The key note speaker, Mr. Arif Hussain Shah (Chief, Federal Projects P&D Department) gave a detailed presentation on water and food security in Balochistan. He mentioned that about 97% of water in Balochistan goes into growing food. He added that the shortage of water is not only hampering agricultural activities, but is also affecting the livestock. He suggested several practical ways to conserve water in Balochistan.   Mr. Zabardast Khan Bangash, Manager IUCN Balochistan Programme stated that Balochistan is facing water & food insecurity situation due to population growth, climate change and energy crisis. He highlighted the fact that between 2003-2011, it has worsened in more than half of the 30 districts in Balochistan because rainwater is not being preserved in the region and swept away into the sea. He also mentioned that karez water in Balochistan is used more in the winter season, but due to lack of maintenance of the karezes, it is often wasted. Mr Zahoor Bazai, Director Training, University of Balochistan quoted a research done in 1990, which mentioned the reduction of water in Balochistan from 8000 cusec per capita to 500 cusec per capita. He added that 50% population of Pakistan is facing malnutrition. He said we are also using virtual water, which makes up our daily food. On this occasion, students from the Girls Guide Association presented a tableau to highlight preservation and careful utilisation of water. In his closing remarks, Mr. Hafeezuulh Baloch, Cluster Coordinator, World Health Organisation stressed on the need to bring behavioral changes in society, adding that illegal use of water in the province is also a reason for its fast-depleting resources.        Towards the end of the seminar, gifts were distributed amongst the tableau participants and presentators. For more information or to set up interviews, please contact: Zabardast Khan Bangash, Manager IUCN Balochistan Programme, IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Quetta Phone: +92 8128240450-2, Fax: +92 812820706 Email: [email protected]

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• Balochistan FRP 2022 pdf (10 MB)

Balochistan Flood Recovery Plan

Balochistan FRP 2022

October 10, 2023

Pakistan, despite being a low contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, remains highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The recent torrential monsoon rains in Balochistan in the summer of 2022 have caused severe flooding, resulting in significant damage to lives, infrastructure, and livelihoods of the affected population. The floods have led to loss of human life, destruction of houses, damage to roads and bridges, loss of livestock, and disruptions to public services. The estimated damage to Balochistan province amounts to PKR 349.00 billion ($1.625 billion), with an additional PKR 491.00 billion ($2.286 billion) required for reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts. 

The Balochistan Flood Recovery Plan is organized into four Sector Strategic Response Recovery Objectives (SROs) comprising 22 subsectors, with activities classified under three categories: Policy/Procedure, Investment/Programme, and Institutional Effectiveness. The planning process focuses on mid-term priorities for the most affected districts, aligning with the World Bank Response Plan and the Balochistan Comprehensive Development and Growth Strategy (2021-26). The plan integrates with the Provincial Public Sector Development Program (PSDP), exploring opportunities to reorient existing projects and develop new interventions to address the specific needs of the province.

Read more . . . 

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Grave Water Crisis in Balochistan

Nazeer ahmed, in the modernized world of the 21 st century, the water crisis is an emerging challenge in low and middles income countries.  studies on the water crisis indicate that the situation of water security and availability in balochistan is below the standards of the human development index (hdi). according to the pakistan council of research in water resources (pcrwr), the underground water level declines every new day, in a decade a drop in the level of underground water from 300 to more than 1000 feet is detected clearly, which causes all districts of the province deficient in water. by reviewing the time-series studies it has been found that due to water scarcity the forests are facing natural deforestation and the grasslands have been converted into deserts. additionally, due to water scarcity disasters take place in balochistan a couple of years later. on the other hand, there are only a few mega projects of water which include 29 large dams and a small number of mini-projects of water in the area of 347185 square kilometers which makes up 44% of the country. as a result, the scenario is worst and the entire province is kept far behind in development., the balochistan government has allocated rs8.837 billion in the budget to accomplish 510 new projects for developmental grants to assure the systematic supply of clean drinking water to the general public in the financial year 2021-2022., read also: use of advanced technology: overcoming water crisis in gwadar, despite the fact that yet these projects are not installed practically but only exist in the paperwork. furthermore, the entire sulaiman region is missing from the 510 provincial water projects. this region is left deprived as it was, there is no mega project installed in the region which would pretty contribute to the living of the local people, their livestock, and to the agriculture sector., pir koh, one of the tehsil of the dera bugti is facing absolute water scarcity due to which people are compelled to drink contaminated water which causes cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid diseases in the form of an epidemic. in the recent reports, from 17 april 2022 till 30 may, it has caused the death of 29 humans which include 20 children aged from 1 year to 7 years, 9 are above 7 years, and many unreported animals. additionally, there are no health facilities for both humans and livestock., provincial disaster management authority balochistan (pdma) is absolutely passive in the current worst scenario of the pir koh which is portraying a terrible picture; however, in this regard, we become failed to find pdma. thus balochistan is left behind province in the respect of development. pdma does not take any serious measures even after the disaster within the province. pir koh is one of the evidence in this regard before us. on the other hand local people particularly youth are voluntarily donating their services to their loved ones to save their lives. they have collected donations to provide clean water to the native people., nevertheless, it is a sorry state if we talk about the political will to address the socio-economic obstacles; in this regard, mr. shah zain bugti who is a member of the national assembly (mna) has remained part of the previous government as well, but unfortunately, his performances arise various questions. he becomes failed either to solve the problem of his own district dera bugti. today, the people of the region are compelled to live under the cloud of miserable circumstances in the form of deprivation of basic necessities and water sacristy., the balochistan government is historically post-disaster solution-oriented which causes a huge loss in the form of man, and animal lives. as well as the destruction of the agriculture sector which is alarming for the local economy., consequently, every district of balochistan is currently confronting water scarcity due to multiple reasons, which include a decrease in rainfall, upon which the majority of the areas of the province are dependent; additionally, lack of dams that can work as storage capacity for rainwater. what is now needed in this regard to address the problem is to take systematic and long-term measures to cope with the circumstances., the balochistan government should take proactive and action-based measures to control such sort of disastrous situation. additionally, the provincial government with the collaboration of the federal government ought to take fundamental long-term measures to cope with the problem of water scarcity, particularly in the sulaiman region and generally in balochistan. the roadmap should be based on the construction of dams, ensuring water supply projects, the chain of reservoirs, installment of well-established water sanitation systems, water storage tanks fair for the population, and construction of different kinds of systematic water pipelines in overall balochistan., the writer is an m.phil. and hec scholar in the sociology department at quaid i azam university, islamabad., disclaimer :  views expressed in this article are those of the author and balochistan voices not necessarily agree with them., related articles more from author.

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Balochistan, Pakistan.

Water Management Crisis And Scarcity In Balochistan – OpEd

By Mir Hassan and Ali Abbas

It is a well-known fact that water is the most basic and essential element of life. It covers roughly 2/3rds of the Earth’s surface and almost all living beings, from tiny bacteria to an adult human being, are dependent on it for survival. It may be difficult for people from developed countries to even imagine living a life without proper access to clear water, but many people around the world, such as in various parts of Africa and South Asia, do not have to imagine it, as they live it every day.

Balochistan is the largest, as well as the most arid province of Pakistan, with low annual precipitation (12.96mm), dry weather and mountainous terrain leading to significant lack of greenery and vegetation, and simulating desert-like conditions in the province. These conditions cause significant issues and problems within the province, one of which is difficulty in accessing clean drinkable water .

As of today, Pakistan is considered a “ water-stressed ” country, but many reports indicate that Pakistan (particularly due to Balochistan) may become a “ water-scarce ” country. Balochistan’s dry climate causes significant shortages of water, but in the past, its population has always managed to mitigate or remedy this issue in one way or other. During the era of British colonial rule, the British realized the agricultural potential of the province and initiated many infrastructure projects to harness water resources such as building various irrigation canals to redirect the flow of rivers and streams for agricultural purposes (Hakra, Nari and Bolan canals were built to divert river water in the fertile plains of Sibi, Kachhi, and Bolan), improving the Karezes by lining them with concrete and introducing modern techniques for their maintenance and operation, and the development of the Quetta water supply system to meet the water needs of the growing population in the provincial capital, which included reservoirs, pipelines, and storage tanks to ensure a reliable water supply for domestic and military purposes.

However, the water management in Balochistan during the British colonial period focused primarily on meeting the needs of the British Empire.After gaining independence, the water management in Balochistan was largely neglected and did not see any significant development efforts directed towards it, sowing the seeds of crises that would lie dormant until the 21 st century. Today, the citizens of Balochistan have started to experience a multitude of complications surrounding the availability of water, such as shortage of water for drinking, sanitation, agriculture and industrial use.It was reported that almost 50% of Balochistan is deprived of safe drinking water and more than half of its land is uncultivable due to water scarcity.

Many issues contribute in kind to the water crisis prevalent in Balochistan today, the most prominent of which is its geographical location. Balochistan receives very little annual rainfall and that too is greatly disproportionate, with some areas receiving 500mm, while others receiving little to no rainfall. No major rivers flow through Balochistan either, as the largest river of Pakistan (the Indus River) flows through all the other provinces, save for Balochistan. The mountainous and rigid terrain further makes it difficult to build proper infrastructure .

The second major cause is the lack of preparedness to receive the rainfall that does arrive. Lack of dams, reservoirs, proper irrigation channels and failure to store rainwater results in cascading floods and devastation, with much of rainwater going to waste as it flows and drains into the ocean, becoming undrinkable.The water management infrastructure in Balochistan is outdate and insufficient to meet the demands of the population as well. The irrigation system suffers from poor maintenance, leakages, and inefficient water distribution networks.

The lack of significant dams and reservoirs, coupled with underdeveloped infrastructure , leads to ineffective and slow response to any flooding and water issues that arise. Another major cause is the abundance of unauthorized tube-wells and water pumps all across the province, particularly in major hubs like the provincial capital Quetta. These tube-well excessively pump out the underground water, which is depleting the underground water reserves at an unprecedented and alarming rate. Climate change also serves as a major cause of water shortages. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns and prolonged droughts have significantly affected the region’s water availability. Increased evaporation rates and decreased annual rainfall lead to more devastating rainfall when it does arrive, which results in floods and deluge. Lastly, another prominent cause, an issue that is responsible for various other problems as well, is the rapid increase in population . The growing population places additional stress on the already limited water resources, exacerbating the water management crisis. Inadequate planning and urbanization have led to increased demand for water, further straining the available supply.

Shortage of water has many adverse impacts on the society and economy of Balochistan. Repeatedly emphasized is the fact that a significant 50% of Balochistan’s population lacks access to safe drinking water. Additionally, more than half of the region’s land is rapidly transforming into arid deserts due to water scarcity. Consequently, many farmers have been compelled to abandon their fruit orchards, leading to a substantial decrease in the number of orchards in Northern and Central Balochistan, renowned for their apple, grape and other fruit production.

Instead the farmers resort to chopping the trees and selling them as firewood, and turn to rearing livestock to make a living. Women and children have to walk great distances to get drinking water , which affects and lowers their chances of gaining an education or do some other work. Shortage of water further increases urbanization , driving the population from rural areas into major cities where water facilities are more available and accessible, further decreasing the agricultural capacity and increasing the strain on the city’s available resources, resulting in creation of slums and ghettos, where the lack of sanitation due to water crisis propagates various waterborne diseases as well as many other health conditions. These waterborne diseases are further amplified due to rampant water pollution caused by industries and people themselves, with a significant portion of water source being contaminated with bacteria like E.Coli .

The shortage of water also has dire impacts on economic well-being as factories need water for industrial use as well, this leads to a decrease in production, lowering the overall products created and damaging the GDP and economic growth of the country. The agricultural sector is also hit hard as lack of water makes farming and cultivation near impossible, with increasing urbanization further reducing the already meager agriculture. This decreases the amount of crops and products produced locally, decreases imports, which is abysmal for economic growth of any nation.

The Pakistani government has tried many times to remedy this issue, initiating many dams and reservoir construction projects such as the Mirani Dam (completed in 2006) and the GomalZam Dam (completed in 2013), along with various other small dams and reservoirs, but these prove too little too late to solve the water crisis. The first and foremost activity should be to invest heavily in construction of reservoirs and storage facilities to store the rainwater that often arrives in cataclysmic force which would kill two birds with one stone as it would not only store the drinkable rainwater, but also prevent floods and devastation of the local infrastructure.

Another solution would be to construct significant number of desalination plants around the coastal regions of Balochistan. Roughly 70% of Earth is covered with Oceans and Seas, but the water in these water bodies is not drinkable due to high concentration of salt in it. Therefore the ocean water needs to go through a process of desalination to be made drinkable, which requires desalination plants.There already exist a few desalination plants in the province, but many of them are nonoperational and closed down, and the ones that are operational are too few in between to completely cover the needs of the entire province, being able to supply only a few important hubs such as the deep seaport of Gawadar. An average sized desalination plan with a cost of around $10 million would be able to provide 1 million gallons of water per day. A 1.2 MGD and 5 MGD desalination plants are planned to be constructed at the Gawadar port under the CPEC initiative, but even these would not be enough to cover the entire province.

The government can further launch public awareness campaigns to increase the awareness regarding the water scarcity issue with utmost transparency and promote water conservation practices such as rainwater harvesting , water recycling , limit wastage of water and incentivize water-efficient technologies, which can reduce water demand by emphasizing the importance of sustainable water management and creating a culture of responsible water usage. The government can also ameliorate the exhaustion of freshwater in Balochistan by cracking down on illegal tube-wells and filtration plants, most of which are operated by the infamous “ Tanker Mafia ”.

WASA has around 450-500 functional tube-wells within Quetta city, whilst the tanker mafia is said to have approximately 2000 in and around Quetta city and supply water to 80% of the population according to some sources, due to which the water reserves have come under extreme pressure and underground water reserves have dropped over 800 feet lower. This makes the installation of new filtration plants much more costly whilst simultaneously making older tube-wells obsolete as they no longer have the depth to reach the depleted water levels. The government can solve this problem by seizing the illegal tube-wells and bringing them into their own controlled use, lowering the excessive consumption and depletion of underground water, whilst simultaneously increasing their own assets of tube-wells in Balochistan.

Overall, the water management crisis is a dire challenge not just for Balochistan, but for Pakistan as a whole. Lack of numerous dams, reservoirs, proper irrigation channels and underdeveloped infrastructure coupled with incompetent management free from all accountability and transparency fueled by internal corruption has lead the population of Balochistan towards a path of devastation.

Much of Balochistan’s arable land has undergone a metamorphosis, transforming into a desolate, barren wasteland, with underground water reserves depleting rapidly with each passing day. But hope is not yet lost, as the government may still be able to save the province from the jaws of devastation through rigid and robust policies. The government can do this by creating numerous dams, reservoirs and storage facilities to store rainwater, develop local infrastructure, improve irrigation channels, strengthen institutional structure (inclusion, citizen participation, accountability and transparency), crack-down on illegal filtration plants and water suppliers, and promote a culture of responsible water usage among the population of Balochistan, increasing awareness and emphasis the importance of conservation of water for a better and more greener future.

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Mir Hassan is a Lecturer in the Department of Public Administration, FMS, BUITEMS

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Resolving the Baloch issue is in Pakistan’s political and economic interest

Treating what is going in the province of Balochistan as a security matter only is the wrong approach.

On January 1, Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, lost his cool at a news conference in Islamabad. When asked about the Baloch people who had been protesting  in the Pakistani capital, demanding government action on enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, Kakar became visibly angry.

He called those demonstrating “relatives of those fighting against the state” and their supporters “advocates of terrorists in Balochistan”. His tirade aimed to delegitimise the Baloch protestors and justify the violence the Islamabad police had unleashed against them.

The approach of the caretaker prime minister, himself a Pashtun hailing from Balochistan, underlines the main issue with government policy towards the Baloch people. For decades, the civilian and military rulers of Pakistan have presented the Baloch issue as a security matter instead of looking into the community’s grievances and demands.

This approach has led to systematic violations of the human, political and economic rights of the Baloch people and fuelled a conflict in their region. The crisis will only deepen unless the Pakistani government changes tack.

Conflict in Balochistan

Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan, making up some 43.6 percent of the total area of the country. The province is rich in natural resources like gold, copper, oil and natural gas and boasts a 770km (478-mile) stretch of coastline, where the strategic Gwadar Port is located – a prominent feature of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Despite being rich in natural resources, Balochistan remains the poorest province in Pakistan. The Baloch ethnic group, which makes up a third of the population, has long been marginalised due to the Pakistani government’s discriminatory policies. This history of marginalisation has been accompanied by sustained armed resistance.

The latest cycle of violence started in the 2000s, prompted by demands for an equal share of the province’s resources for the Baloch people. Eventually, calls for independence also emerged.

But not all Baloch people support the armed groups and many believe that a political solution is possible, if Islamabad were to listen to and address their grievances.

For decades, successive governments have responded to the problem with force, not only seeking to decimate armed groups but also demonising and terrorising the Baloch community. Even Baloch activists and politicians who have not taken up arms but have instead chosen to engage in political and legal ways of seeking a solution to the conflict have been branded as “terrorists”.

As a result, Islamabad has missed many chances to engage the Baloch society and seek a peaceful, political solution.

Enforced disappearances

The Pakistani government’s security approach to the Baloch issue has resulted in a growing human rights crisis. Enforced disappearances, in particular, have been a pervasive phenomenon that has caused increased tensions and protests among the Baloch people.

According to the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, the number of the forcibly disappeared  has crossed 5,000 . According to the government, there have been 2,700 cases, out of which 468 remain unresolved.

Human rights violations of the Baloch have been widespread and have been increasingly acknowledged not just by international and local rights organisations, but also by Pakistani institutions.

In its 2023 fact-finding report, Balochistan’s Struggle for Hope, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) stated: “Some members of the district administration in Gwadar and Turbat conceded privately to the HRCP team that there had been a rise in enforced disappearances in the province.”

The HRCP found that young people, especially students, have become frequent targets of this practice; it even mentions reports of the enforced disappearance of minors.

Common Baloch do not feel safe in their own land, not even in their own homes. The chasm of distrust between them and the local and central authorities is only growing. Worse still, the Baloch have been targeted even when they have tried to express their grievances through peaceful protest.

This is what happened recently in Islamabad. In November, a Baloch man was killed after being forcefully disappeared from his home in the city of Turbat. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) claimed that he was a “terrorist” while the relatives and other community members maintained that he was killed in an extrajudicial encounter by the CTD.

Reflecting what has become a routine in the province, family members of the murdered man organised protests and were joined by local activists. They eventually started a long march from Turbat to Islamabad, where they took their demands to end extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances to the seat of power.

But the government – again – did not listen. Instead, the Islamabad police were dispatched to disperse the protesters with water cannons and detain some of them. These actions only increased the anger and disenchantment among the Baloch.

Addressing the Baloch issue

Dismissing valid grievances by the Baloch community and attacking its members who are seeking peaceful ways to address them is really the wrong approach to the Baloch issue.

It is high time the Pakistani political elite realise that it is in the interest of the country to secure political stability in Balochistan and that can only happen by addressing the demands of the Baloch people for equal human, political and economic rights.

Several steps can be taken to resolve the ongoing crisis.

First, the underlying causes of the conflict need to be assessed and understood, including the use of military force to suppress dissent in the province. It would be worthwhile to engage the moderate sections of the Baloch population whose demands come within the law of the land, instead of clubbing them together with the radical groups.

Second, relevant state institutions and the judiciary should investigate enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings and hold to account those who have perpetrated them. The files of political prisoners should also be reviewed and in the cases where there are no major crimes committed, they should be released.

Third, these gestures of good faith should be used for trust-building with the Baloch community that can ultimately lead to negotiations on mechanisms for equal distribution of the profits from the exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources.

The effort that undertaking these steps would take far outweighs the benefits that it can produce. Balochistan remains vital for Pakistan’s economic development. A politically stable Balochistan can mitigate the ongoing conflict and significantly reduce security threats emerging from the province. It would facilitate the completion of the various projects of the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and help government efforts to attract foreign investment that Pakistan desperately needs at the moment. The only thing still missing from this equation is political will in Islamabad.

The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Acute drinking water crisis in Pakistan's Balochistan province

BALOCHISTAN: Major parts of Balochistan province in Pakistan are suffering an acute shortage of drinking water as the filtration plants installed by the regime have gone out of order due to poor maintenance, The Express Tribune reported.

The report quoted a civil society member who said, "Only 25 per cent of Balochistan's dwellers have access to clean drinking water."

Locals have urged the government to restore the non-functional water filtration plants so that they can have access to drinking water.

Earlier, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo had ordered the authority concerned to repair the out-of-order filtration plants within a month.

Resolving the water issue was a top priority of the government as it had established water filtration plants in every district of the province to provide clean drinking water but they went out of order due to poor maintenance, Bizenjo had said.

This is not the first time that Pakistan has been struggling with water shortages.

Earlier, Jiye Sindh Quami Mahaz (JSQM) took out protest rallies against water shortage in the Sindh province.

The leaders while addressing the rally had alleged that Punjab province was conspiring to dry up Indus. They also bemoaned that the Punjab government has never gone by the 1991 water treaty on the distribution of water.

The protestors also said that the elites associated with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in Sindh continue getting water, however, others who are without any influence and political connection, suffer.

The water shortage in Sindh has been a great issue. Not only Sindh province but also Punjab province is facing up to 75 per cent water shortage. The Punjab province supplied 53,100 cusecs of water against its needs of 1,27,800 cusecs.

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Balochistan ‘trying to tackle water scarcity’

Pir Koh is provided water in tankers now

Balochistan Chief Secretary Abdul Aziz Uqaili on Thursday said the province was increasingly facing water scarcity which was indeed worrisome but still the provincial government was doing its best to tackle the situation despite its limited resources.

He was talking to the visiting Country-Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Country-Representative of the FAC Florence Rolle called on the CS Balochistan to discuss matters of mutual interest.

Chief of the FAO green fund, Nadine Valat, Dan Gustafson, Secretary Forest Balochistan Dostain Khan Jamaldini were also present on the occasion.

“Within available resources, the government is taking steps to overcome the issue of water scarcity,” Abdul Aziz Uqaili said.

He informed the delegation that the outbreak of cholera had claimed precious human lives in Balochistan’s Dera Bugti district.

Read    WB to help Balochistan overcome water scarcity

“Now we are providing clean drinking water to the community through water tankers,” he mentioned.

The delegation informed the chief secretary that FAO was working in Balochistan for the last few years. The European Union (EU) has completed projects in agriculture, construction of dams, and clean drinking water worth 27 million euros.

The delegation assured the EU and FAO would extend all possible support to the provincial government in terms of protection of forests, and range land.

The CS however mentioned that the present government has taken a number of initiatives to address the issues of the masses at their doorstep. “Government is trying hard to address the issues faced by the general public,” Abdul Aziz Uqaili stated.

The statement has come after environmentalists warned of a serious water crisis in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.

“Mass migration is feared from various parts of Balochistan because of the scarcity of water,” Amjad Rasheed, a well-known environmentalist told The Express Tribune.

He urged the government to construct maximum delay and check dams to check the wastage of rainwater in the province. Due to the scarcity of water, the federal government has funded the construction of a 100-dams project in various parts of Balochistan to address the issue.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had given three years to the provincial and federal governments to make sure the construction of delay and check dams in the province in 2021.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 3 rd , 2022.

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Water situation worsening in balochistan, says alyani.

By Saleem Shahid

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has said that if the water crisis in his province is not addressed timely the situation will be more serious within the next five to 10 years.

Speaking at a consultative workshop on ‘Balochistan Water Resources’ here on Tuesday, he said: “We need to utilise our resources with utmost care and caution and every individual would have to play a role in this connection.”

The workshop was organised by the European Union (EU) in collaboration with the Balochistan Rural Support Programme.

The chief minister said the water crisis had gripped the entire country, but it was more serious in Balochistan owing to wrong planning, shortage of dams in the country and low precipitation.

“We have declared a water emergency in the province soon after formation of our government,” he said.

Calls for utilising resources ‘with utmost care and caution’

Mr Alyani said agriculture and livestock were very crucial sectors for the economy of the province with which a large portion of the country’s population was linked. “Water crisis has also caused serious impact on both sectors,” he said.

Because of the water crisis people had to migrate from rural to urban areas, he said, adding that migrations always caused demographic changes and created a number of issues.

The chief minister said the Quetta city was once rich with water resources, but unfortunately now people were compelled to buy tankers because water channels in the city’s surroundings and other areas had dried. “Now we need to devise a proper strategy and planning to get rid of the water crisis and ensure better future for coming generations,” he added.

He thanked the EU for helping Balochistan and said his government was making efforts to introduce new techniques in the agriculture sector so that less water was consumed and more production was achieved.

The chief minister said there would be serious repercussions if pumping of ground water was not stopped promptly. “We have resources and now we need better planning,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, EU’s representative Milko van Gool said that the EU had a multi-annual cooperation programme with the government of Pakistan.

Under the programme, the EU was providing a technical assistance grant of 40 million euros dedicated to the Revival of Balochistan Water Resou­rces Programme, he added.

He said at a request of the government of Pakistan, the EU launched an identification mission (completed in July 2018) followed by a formulation mission, which is currently ongoing.

EU consultants Shammy Puri and Rieks Bosch provided presentations on the background to the current status of land, water resources and related pressures.

Provincial Minister for Public Health Engineering Noor Mohammad Dumar said ground water resources were depleting and rural population was receiving water through tankers. The situation demanded adoption of new methodologies for the revival of ground water resources, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2018

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Essay on “Water Crisis in Pakistan and its Remedies” for CSS, PMS, Judiciary Examinations

• August 30, 2021
• Essay for CSS PMS and Judiciary Exam

This is an essay on “Water Crisis in Pakistan and its Remedies” for CSS, PMS, and Judiciary Examinations. Pakistan’s big arguably, biggest — problem is water scarcity. The country faces acute water scarcity by 2025 and will be the most water-stressed country in South Asia within two decades. Almost 30 million Pakistanis have no access to clean water. Find below the complete Essay on the water crisis in Pakistan and its remedies.

World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) report

Causes of the water crisis

• No dams construction
• Dispute between the provinces
• Demands of Sindh
• Punjab’s role
• Lack of proper water management
• Climate change
• Mismanagement of resource

Indian propaganda since 1947

• Standstill Agreement
• Role of the president of the World Bank
• Indus Basin Treaty 1960
• Wullar Barrage (The Tulbal Navigation Lock)
• Kishanganga Project
• Baghlihar Dam

Sources of Water

• Indus River
• Closed basin Kharan desert
• Makran coastal basin
• Water reservoirs/ capacities
• Terbela dam reservoir
• Mangla dam reservoir
• Chashma barrage reservoir
• Utilization of water
• Power generation

Water and Agriculture

Impact on Economy

Recommendations for Water Crisis

• Kalabagh dam
• Thal reservoir
• Raised Mangla dam
• Gomalzam dam
• Water management
• Use of alternative sources of energy

Essay on “Water Crisis in Pakistan and its Remedies” for CSS, PMS, Judiciary Examinations

According to the World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB), Pakistan is one of the most “water-stressed” countries in the world; it is likely to face an acute water shortage over the next five years due to lack of water availability for irrigation, industry and human consumption. A WB report states that the water supply in Pakistan has fallen from 5,000 cubic meters per capita to 1,000 cubic meters in 2010, and is likely to further reduce to 800 cubic meters per capita by 2020. Contributory factors consist of an increase in population, climate change, lack of a solid vision to construct water reservoirs, and misplaced use of Jhelum and Chenab rivers by India under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) of 1960 that has resulted in reduced flow of water to Pakistan.

The water crisis has two dimensions. First is the distribution of water among the four provinces, particularly between Punjab and Sindh. The second is between Pakistan and India arising because of utilizing water from the Chenab and Jhelum rivers. The first problem basically arises from the second one.

India got the right to fully utilize water from the three eastern rivers; Ravi, Bias, and Sutlej, while Pakistan was to utilize water from the three western rivers; Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum under the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). India was also permitted limited irrigation of 1,343 million acres (2.85 MAF) from western rivers. Water for Pakistan was not quantified. However, it is implied in the treaty that India is not to exceed the specified limit for water utilization. If India continues with its current strategy of building dams on the Chenab and Jhelum rivers, then there would be serious implications for Pakistan’s agriculture and national security. It would aggravate the already strained relationship between the two countries, which is due to the unresolved Kashmir issue.

A very strong perception exists in Pakistan that India in its quest to utilize water from Chenab and Jhelum rivers and is not fulfilling its obligations under the IWT. It wants to constrict the flow of water to Pakistan. This strategy has a hidden political agenda to create scarcity of irrigation water that would hurt Pakistan’s economy and agriculture sector in between 10-15 years. The national interests of both countries would be best served if India honored its comn1ittnents under the IWT. But, is India ready to address Pakistan’s concerns or wants to safeguard its own interests by violating the IWT that could lead to worsening of relations between the two countries?

The Water Crisis at the National Level Exists due to the following reasons:

•  In the past, the public leadership did not succeed to develop a consensus on the construction of huge water reservoirs, particularly the Kalabagh dam that could have addressed many of the power and water problems that are being faced today.
• Provinces are in dispute over their respective share of water under the IWT, with particular reference to utilizing water for Kharif and Rabi seasons through link canals managed by the Indus River System Authority (Irsa). Irsa has stopped satisfying Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces over the distribution of irrigation water for the current Rabi season because of a 34.0 percent shortage of water, primarily due to the construction of the Baglihar dam on Chenab. Water supply would be further constricted because of the planned construction of the Basrur multipower project, Siwalkot dam, and Pakot Dul dam on Chenab river by India. Unless resolved it would continue to be a recurring problem.
• The Sindh Assembly has demanded scrapping the Hydropower project on the Chashma Jhelum link canal, a key project for the Punjab government . There is a strong perception in Sindl1 that the project would constrict the flow of water to the province and hurt its agriculture as well.
• Punjab 1s accused of stealing 16,000 cusecs of water between Taunsa and Guddu, from 2nd to 4th Feb 2010. The Punjab government claims that system losses are to blame for the water that has disappeared.
• Because of an absence of proper water management essentially at the secondary canal level, water crisis, particularly at the lower parts of these canals, is very evident. Coupled with flood irrigation, either irrigation by flooding basins or using the old Punchoo system, the water crisis keeps on increasing its intensity day by day. IRSA has no telemetry system and we cannot decide to distribute water by going beyond letter sense and include the spirit of the Water Apportionment Accord of 1991, we do not see an end to this water crisis in Pakistan.

As far as the scarcity of water in Pakistan is concerned, apparently, it has also to do with:

1. Climatic changes

2. Negligence and mismanagement of water resources by successive governments in Pakistan

Global warming has led to the melting of the Himalayan glaciers and consequent depletion in the flow of water into the Indus River system. The trend is likely to continue with rising temperatures. It is not that only the agricultural sector, the backbone of Pakistan’s economy , is suffering; due to depleting water supply, there is reduced power generation from the hydroelectric plants, having a devastating impact on the country’s industries too. Pakistan has no control over nature. However, it can improve the management of water resources. Pakistan needs to address the following problems on an urgent basis:

• The silting of dams and barrages is a continuous process. Due to heavy sediments carried by the rivers, Tarbela, Mangla and Chasma Dams have lost nearly 25% of their capacity.
• An estimated 40% of the water that runs through canals is lost because of seepage. The reason is the canal beds and banks are unlined, poorly lined, or porous.
• Traditional and antiquated agricultural techniques lead to excessive loss of water.
• While water-intensive varieties of crops, like sugarcane and rice, are cultivated. Optimum crop rotation is imperative but is not done effectively.

On 2 June 2008, Pakistan’s National Economic Council met under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and approved the development strategy based on the Medium Term Development Framework 2005-10. The water sector part of the overall strategy concentrates on water augmentation, water conservation, and effective use of water. It calls for the development of additional medium and large-size reservoirs with priority.

The water storages to be completed, by 2016 include Akhori Dam, Basha-Diamer Dam, Kalabagh Dam, and Munda Dam. Simultaneously the ongoing projects such as raising the structures of Mangla Dam, Gomal Dam, Satpra Dam, Kurram Tangi Dam, and Sabakzai Dam are also to be the top priority. The Medium-Term Development Framework 2005-10 also envisages a number of other measures, including reclamation of land from waterlogging and salinity, improvement of watercourses and ground-water management, etc.

Last year, 20 different UN bodies had warned; “Water is linked to the crisis of climate change, energy and food supplies and prices, and troubled financial markets. Unless their links with water are addressed and water crises around the world are resolved, these other crises may intensify and local water crises may worsen, converging into a global water crisis and leading to political insecurity and conflict at various levels”.

In a recent report, the United Nations has estimated that Pakistan’s water supply has dropped from about 5,000 cubic meters per person in the 1950s to about 1,420 cubic meters. Any further drop would seriously jeopardize economic growth and would be a health hazard. Notwithstanding Indus Basin Treaty, The need for effective international cooperation among riparian countries is greater now than ever before. The demand for water in all countries is escalating and increasingly the harmful effects of activities in upstream countries are being observed. Over a third of the 200 international river basins, are not covered, by an international agreement; only some 30, including Pakistan and India, have co-operative institutional arrangements.

Clearly, efforts are needed to formulate and reach an agreement on an international “code of conduct” or convention in the utilization of shared water basins so that the water needs of some countries are not undermined by irresponsible utilization of water resources by others. Improved international co-operation is also necessary regarding the transfer of knowledge and technology in the water resources field. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, 1998, sets the standard for all agreements involving the shared use of trans boundary water, resources.

It specifically establishes the dual criteria of “equitable and reasonable utilization”‘ of the water resources and the need to “exchange data and consult on the possible effects of planned measures on the condition” of the water resource. The U.N. Convention provides the overall framework for Transboundary water sharing.

The partition of the South Asian Subcontinent on 14 August 1947 into the dominions of India and Pakistan gave birth to a host of problems, including that of the sharing of waters of the mighty Indus River System. The issue was of concern to Pakistan because the headworks of the rivers that irrigated Pakistan’s Punjab province mostly went to the Indian side. On 30 December 1947, Pakistan and India concluded a ‘Standstill Agreement’ for a three-month period under which Pakistan continued to receive water supply from the headworks of Madhopur on River Ravi and Ferozepur on River Sutlej, the two tributaries of River Indus. As the interim arrangement ended on 31 March 1948, the next day the Government of Indian Punjab stopped the supply of water to Pakistan from the Madhopur headwork, affecting, according to one estimate, 5.5% of Pakistan’s irrigated area.

Pakistan raised the issue at the Inter-Dominion Conference held on 3-4 May 1948. India dismissed Pakistan’s claim over water, from the headworks on its side as a matter of right but agreed to release water as a provisional arrangement. It was thus abundantly clear that slowly and gradually the quantity of water would be reduced. In 1951, David Lilienthal, who had formerly served as Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority and as Chairman of the US Atomic Energy Commission, undertook a research tour of Pakistan and India for writing a series of articles. In one of his articles, he opined that it would be very beneficial for the region if the two countries cooperated to jointly develop and operate the Indus Basin river system. He further suggested that the World Bank might play its role in bringing India and Pakistan to agree on some plan to develop the Indus river system for mutual benefit.

President of the World Bank, Eugene Black, picked up the idea and offered his good offices to resolve the issue of water sharing between India and Pakistan. The two neighbors welcomed the initiative and after tough bargaining during the protracted negotiations that spread, over nine years arrived at the contours of the agreement. Broad parameters thus settled the work of drafting began. Finally, m September 1960, President of Pakistan Field Marshall Mohammad Ayub Khan and Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru signed the Indus Water Treaty in Karachi.

Following are the provisions of the Indus Basin Treaty 1960

• Pakistan surrendered three eastern rivers, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas to India with some minor rights to Pakistan.
• Largely three western rivers namely Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab remained with Pakistan.
• India was allowed to use water from the western rivers for irrigation of 642,000 acres of land that were already being irrigated from these rivers along with an entitlement to further irrigate 701,000 acres for crops.
• India was also given specified entitlement for ‘other’ storage, including, power and flood storage i.e., storage for non-consumptive purposes.
• Pakistan was to meet the requirements of its eastern river canals from the western rivers by constructing replacement works.
• Both parties are bound to. regularly exchange flow data of rivers, canals, and streams.
• A Permanent Indus Water Commission, with one Commissioner from each side, was to be set up to resolve issues.
• The procedures were set out for settlement of ‘questions’ ‘differences’ and ‘disputes’, bilaterally and through neutral experts and International Court of Arbitration as the case might be.

Since Pakistan required considerable time to build the necessary infrastructure to divert water from western rivers to eastern rivers and their canals on its side, India was to allow the ‘historic withdrawals’ on the part of Pakistan during the transitory period. According to the Treaty, two dams (Mangla on River Jhelum and Tarbela on River Indus) were to be built It also envisaged five barrages Maraia and Qadirabad on River Chenab, Sidhnai on River Ravi, Rasul on River Jhelum, Chashma on River Indus, and Mailsi on River Sutlej. Besides, one siphon and seven link canals (Rasul-Qadirabad on Rivers Jhelum-Chenab, Qadirabad-Balloki on Rivers Chenab-Ravi, Balloki-Suleimanki II and Sidhnai-Mailsi on Rivers Ravi-Sutlej, Chashma-Jhelum on Rivers Indus-Jhelum and Trimmu-Sidhnai on Rivers Indus-Ravi), to be constructed in Pakistan.

To meet the financial cost, India was to pay a fixed amount of US $ 62.060 million over a period of ten years. An international consortium pledged the US $ 900 million. The World Bank was to administer the Indus Basin, Development Fund. The Indus Basin Project was completed despite all hurdles those included opposition and reservations from many quarters in Pakistan who felt that Pakistan’s rights as a lower riparian state had been compromised. This amounted to a successful resolution of a major dispute over the world’s largest, contiguous irrigation system with a command area of about 20 million hectares.

Although the Indus Water Treaty has been a remarkable success story, lately some projects are undertaken by India in the Occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir from where the western rivers flow into Pakistan have become major irritants and raised serious concerns in Pakistan:

India has embarked upon the construction of a huge network of water storage facilities, the national river linking project at an estimated cost of $120 bn likely to be completed by 2016. It includes the construction of the Basrur multi-power project, Siwalkot dam, and Pakot Dul dam on Chenab, in addition to the already constructed Baglihar dam. In 1985, India started construction of a barrage known as ‘Wullar Barrage (The Tulbal Navigation Lock)’ some 439 feet long and with a lock at the mouth of Wullar Lake, the largest freshwater Lake in Indian occupied, disputed, and held territory.

Purportedly but not so innocently, the stated purpose of the barrage was to make possible navigation in a 22 km stretch between the towns of Sopore and Baramula, during the lean winter season by regulating the flow of the River Jhelum. Pakistan raised objections to this project and the construction work halted in 1987. Pakistan contends that India cannot store water in excess of 0.01 MAF as ‘incidental storage’ on River Jhelum. Pakistan also apprehends that the Wullar Barrage may cause damage to its own project of linking Jhelum and Chenab with the Upper Bari Doab Canal. One important concern of Pakistan, which is extraneous to the Indus Water Treaty but squarely a security issue, is that in case of war between the two countries, India would take advantage of its ability to control the flow of water and make the crossing of the river easy or difficult according to strategic and tactical military requirement.

India, as usual, but erroneously contends that the Wullar Barrage would regulate the flow of water into Jhelum and control the floods. It would not reduce the overall quantum of water flow rather increase it during the lean winter season. All fair weather pretension and an obvious ruse, to get away with an extremely hurtful project to Pakistan. The project’s impact, India asserts, would be beneficial to Mangla Dam in power generation and to Pakistan’s triple canal system due to the regulated flow of water. The matter remains unresolved.

Outrageously on the Kishanganga Project, the Indians hawk on the premise that it will ostensibly bring water from River Kishanganga to Wullar Lake, where a hydroelectric power station is proposed. The project envisages the construction of a channel and a tunnel for this purpose. Simultaneously to build a dam, near the place where River Kishanganga crosses the Line of Control to enter Pakistan-administered Kashmir, where it is known as Neelum.

Here Pakistan plans to construct a 969 MW-capacity Neelum-Jhelum Power Plant with Chinese assistance. The Pakistani project is to going to be completed in 2017, due to a delay in construction work. Pakistan is genuinely concerned and fears that the Kishanganga Project would lead to a shortfall of water flow into Neelum, reducing its power generation by an estimated 9%. The Indus Water Treaty does not bar any party from storing water for power generation as per entitlement.

However, there is the principle of prior appropriation enshrined in the Treaty. India intends to complete the Kishanganga Project by 2016 to avail the opportunity of diverting K.ishanganga’a water to Wullar Lake before Pakistan is able to invoke the provision of prior appropriation. India also claims that Pakistan need not worry because the water diverted by the l<ishanganga Project would reach Pakistan through River Jhelum, no matter Neelum-Jhelum project suffers.

In 1999, India began construction work of 470-feet high, 317 meters wide Baghlihar Dam, also known as Baghlihar Hydroelectric Power Project, oh River Chenab in Doda District of Indian occupied Kashmir. Although India called it a run-of-the-river project, the dam was to have a ‘pond age’ of 15 million cubics! Deters with submerged gated spillways.

Pakistan raised objection to the project design on the ground that the submerged gate ‘spillways would enable India to increase the storage capacity of the reservoir and, if India desired, to halt the supply of water to Pakistan for more than three weeks during the winter season. Pakistan fears that it would lose between 7000 to 8000 cusecs of water per day for Rabi crops. Pakistan also sensed the danger of inundation of the area above Maraia Head Works, if India released water simultaneously from Dulhasti, Baghlihar, and Sala! Darns into River Chenab. Pakistan viewed the Baghlihar Project as another security risk, in times of tension or war, as India would be able to control the flow of water facilitating or hampering the movement of Indian/Pakistani troops according to its requirement.

After the Indus Water Commission failed to resolve the Baghlihar Dam issue, the matter was referred to the World Bank which acknowledged that the issue amounted to a ‘difference’ and appointed Professor Raymond Lafitte, an engineer from Switzerland, as the neutral expert to decide the matter. On 12 February 2007, Lafitte gave his verdict directing India to reduce the capacity of pond age by 13.5% and the height of the Dams’ structure by 1.5 meters. He also called for raising power intake tunnels by 3 meters to reduce flow-control capability. Pakistan had reservations about the verdict but both India and Pakistan agreed to abide by it. The matter, it appears, stands closed.

It is heartening to see that during its recent visit to Pakistan to discuss Indus Water issues, the Indian delegation conceded that all “water disputes must be resolved within an agreed timeframe.” Pakistan’s Indus Commissioner Syed Jamaal Ali Shah told the Indian delegation that a reduction in supplies was jeopardizing the water transfer operation to the eastern part of Pakistan. He also conveyed the message that Pakistan wanted India to take necessary steps if deforestation and environmental impact affected the river flow on its side.

Now dams will be Discussed in detail.

World’s largest earth and rock-filled dam were built at Terbela on river Indus in 1976 with a gross capacity of 11.62 maf and a live storage capacity of 9.68 maf. With the passage of time, due to silting, 24.6% of the storage has been lost and now it has a live storage of 7.295 maf.

Mangla reservoir is the second major storage of Pakistan. It was built in 1967 on river Jhelum with a gross capacity of 5.882 maf and live storage of 5.41 maf. Again due to siltation it has lost 13.2% of its storage and presently can store 4.636 MAF of water.

Chashma barrage is situated on river Indus and was built in 1972 with a gross storage of0.870 maf and live storage of O.717 maf. It has also reduced its storage capacity by 39.3% and is left with a storage capacity of0.435 maf.

In Pakistan, we utilize the water available to us for different purposes. The basic utilization is for irrigation and then used for power generation, drinking, and also provided to some Industries.

Whereas impact on the economy is concerned, according to the estimates of the federal government, the agriculture sector would suffer a loss of about Rs. 90 billion because of drought. Since agriculture has remained a major source of shouldering the already crippled economy , it has a vital role to play particularly in terms of food security and employment of the ever-burgeoning population of the country. It contributes around 35 % to the GNP and employs about 44% of the labor force. It also contributes 65% of our export earnings. The adverse effects of water shortage on agriculture would have a spiraling effect on the prevailing level of poverty.

•  Less water means less agricultural yields and to fulfill the food requirements of the nation, we will be dependent on other countries.
• Raising livestock is the main source of livelihood in rural areas. It is also an important economic activity, which contributes 9.7% of GDP, which will be affected due to a shortage of water.
• Orchards of Pakistan bring home a healthy amount of foreign exchange, which can be affected due to water shortage.
• Due to less production of main crops, which are wheat, cotton, sugar cane, and rice, the Industries related to them will suffer adversely.
• Then due to drought and more dependency on groundwater for irrigation, the water table will go down, and this will cause water constraints to the population.
• Less agricultural outputs will compel people to head towards urban areas for jobs, which will increase unemployment further.
• The distribution of water is controlled from the center by IRSA (Indus river system authority) as per the 1991 agreement between the provinces. Now the shortage of water will cause disputes between the provinces, which may cause harm to the national integrity.

So for overcoming the water crisis, following steps are recommended:

The national water strategy must be based upon two essential elements covering

1. Water developments

2. Water management

In water development, the following dams should start immediately;-

Bhasha dam would be located 200 miles upstream of Terbela on river Indus. its gross storage capacity would be 7.3 maf and live storage 5.7 maf. Its power generation capacity would be 3360 mw.

Kalabagh dam site is located 132 miles downstream of Terbela. Its gross storage would be 6.1 maf. It would have a power generation of 3600 mw.

That reservoir would be located on the right bank of Chashma – Jhelum link canal, along the western bank of river Jhelum. Its reservoir would have a gross capacity of 2.3 maf.

In this, the present Mangla dam would be further raised by 40 ft and thus increasing its gross capacity to 9.5 maf. In addition, its power generation capacity would be increased by 15%.

Mirani dam is located on Dasht River about 48 km of Turbat town in Mekran division. Its main objective is to provide water for irrigation. Its gross storage is 0.30 maf.

Gomalzam dam is located at Khajori Kach on Gomal River in South Waziristan, about 75 miles from Dera Ismail Khan. Its main objective will be to irrigate 132000 acres of land, power generation of 17.4 mw, and flood control.

From these projects, we shall be able to store an additional 20maf of water. Managing water resources is the need of time, and we in Pakistan are already short of water, mnst chalk out a strategy. Following are recommended in this regard:-

Presently the losses occur due to seepage, infiltration, and leakages, etc. seepage results in waterlogging, and these losses can be reduced or eliminated by lining the canals.

In addition, people should be educated to conserve water by cooperation”: Furthermore government should make laws on water conservation, like many western countries.

The second-largest contribution to the total water available comes from groundwater sources. This source has been exploited and very well used by public and private tube wells. It can still provide over nine maf of water. This source can be exploited and judiciously used for irrigation purposes. However in some areas, groundwater is rapidly depleting due to excessive pumpage, authorities should take control in such areas to save them from depleting.

Efforts would be made to convert the present rotation-based irrigation system to a demand-oriented system. The modem irrigation techniques, that is trickling, sprinkling, etc, have the potential to improve water distribution and its utilization.

Authorities should take appropriate steps to curb the illegal extraction of water and ensure its equitable distribution.

Presently irrigation department has failed to stop the illegal theft and extraction; thus irrigation distribution system needs to be privatized through·water user associations.

In addition, water, nowadays is supplied to farmers at a very negligible cost and that is why they do not treat water as a precious resource; therefore there is a need to increase the water prices to make irrigators realize the importance of this asset.

Farmer’s organizations, water user associations, and the private sector must be involved in the construction, operation, and maintenance of i.e irrigation system. Such associations are conceived as a mechanism for creating a cooperative framework for the improvement of watercourses.

The problems faced by the water sector in the country are many, acute and serious and it is also known that we can generate about 83 maf of more water. Therefore, building more reservoirs and an effective management strategy are the needs of the time. Also, implementation of the recommendations will enable the country to ·meet the challenges, and achieve the objectives of integrated, efficient, environmentally and financially sustainable development and management of limited water resources. At the same time, it will enable us to utilize every drop of our water for our bright future.

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Water crisis had taken a serious turn with the beginning of hot summer days in all parts of Balochistan where people are agitating against the water famine by taking out processions and holding rallies.

Earlier, the water crisis was confined to Quetta city and its sub-urban areas even during the winter, now all areas from Naushki, Kharan, Washuk, Chagai, Mekran (including Gwadar), Sibi and Kachhi Plains.

There are reports of water shortages in some parts of Central Balochistan where the efficiency of the Public Health Engineering Department had been questioned. For the past 30 years there was a limited spending on the provision of providing clean drinking water to the people in all parts of Balochistan causing serious scarcity of water for domestic use. If a small portion of the MPAs’ personal funds were spent on the provision of clean water supply to the people, most of the major human settlements would have got adequate water supply.

Drought and a sharp drop in sea level are posing a serious threat in Balochistan.

Experts have warned that if dams are not built and ground water recharged, the province will turn into a desert.

A half century ago, water could be seen flowing in the streams and coasts of the province. Water could be found upon digging a mere 20 feet to 25 feet into the ground.

However, the situation is very different now.

The government installed a large number of tube wells but did not build any dams nor take action against illegal drilling.

Currently, over 6,000 tube wells are lifting water from districts across the province. In addition to this, drought and an increase in population have exacerbated the problem of water scarcity.

Drought coupled with a drop of 2,000 feet in sea level has destroyed agricultural lands across the province. Meanwhile, residents of Quetta and Gwadar do not even have water to drink.

There are two major canals in the Kachhi Plains and the Government could have easily providing drinking water to the townships and human settlements close to Pat Feeder and Kirthar Canal.

First of all, the Government of Balochistan should ensure that there is no stealing of canal water by the powerful and influential people and at the same time should prepare plans for supplying drinking water to the human settlements from the canal system of Naseerabad Division.

Besides this, the sub-soil water is available in some parts of Naseerabad, Sibi and Kachhi Plains which should be used for uninterrupted supply of drinking water to the local people.

There is a technology available to establish desalination plant and water purification plans to ensure clean water supply even remote corners of Balochistan.

There is an old suggestion that the MPAs should be compelled to spend half of their MPA funds on providing drinking water supply and the remaining half on building huge residential schools to defeat the menace of drop-outs from the schools. The funds should not remain able for junk schemes or personal use.

The Public money should be spent on public welfare. If the chosen representatives were found misusing the public money, they will definite face a tough accountability sooner or later. It will not go unnoticed and their shrewd constituents had an eye on their conduct and performance.

It is the foremost function of the Provincial Government to provide drinking water to the people without any hesitation. For this, proper plan should be prepared and implemented to ensuring water supply for drinking and domestic use first and later on for commercial and industrial uses.

In case of Gwadar, the Government should build bigger dams and establish huge water reservoirs all along the coastline so that water should remain available for commercial and industrial purposes.

At some distance from Gwadar, the planners had provided adequate water for future industrial and commercial development of Chah Bahar Port and also its adjacent industrial and commercial areas where more than 55 billion US dollars are being spent by the foreign investors.  Iran had developed its port facilities at Chah Bahar while we are facing water shortage at Gwadar hampering the pace of development at Gwadar.

Gwadar Port will never be operational without adequate supply of water in commercial quantity. Gwadar will remain a dream without adequate water supply.

To this date, hardly any significant project had been launched to cater water resources from five major rivers of the area flowing close to the Mekran Coast.

We suggested to the Government to construct dam and water resources downstream of Dasht River which had two major contributories of mighty Nihing River and Kech River.

The Balochistan Crisis: Origins, Impacts, and Remedies

• Current Affairs , Essays, Outlines
• May 29, 2023
• Noshin Bashir

Table of Contents

Introduction

Balochistan, also spelled Balūchestān or Baluchistan, is the largest region of Pakistan spanning across Iran and Afghanistan and has been marred by a long-standing and multifaceted crisis that has had significant implications for the political, economic, and social landscape of the region. The origins of the Balochistan crisis can be traced back to historical, ethnic, and economic factors, while its impacts have been felt in various spheres of life. Understanding the complexities of the Balochistan crisis and exploring potential remedies is essential for addressing the issue comprehensively, making it a significant topic for the Central Superior Services (CSS) exams preparation.

Origins of Balochistan Crises

The origins of the Balochistan crisis can be attributed to historical factors that have shaped the region’s geopolitical dynamics. Balochistan has a long history of struggle for autonomy and independence from the countries it spans across, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The Baloch people, who are primarily ethnic Baloch and speak the Balochi language, have a distinct cultural identity and have historically sought greater autonomy and recognition of their rights. The region has been subjected to colonization, annexation, and marginalization by various external powers, leading to deep-seated grievances among the Baloch population.

The Balochistan crisis can be traced back to the time of the British Raj when the Balochistan region was incorporated into the British Indian Empire. The Baloch people, who had a long history of independence and self-rule, were not happy with this decision and resisted British rule. After the partition of India in 1947, Balochistan became a part of Pakistan, but the Baloch people continued to resist the new state’s authority.

The Baloch nationalist movement gained momentum in the 1960s when the Pakistani government began large-scale development projects in Balochistan. These projects were seen by the Baloch people as an attempt to exploit their resources without providing them with adequate compensation or benefits. The Baloch nationalist movement demanded greater autonomy for Balochistan and control over its resources.

The situation in Balochistan deteriorated further after the military coup of General Zia-ul-Haq in 1977. The new military government took a hardline approach to the Baloch nationalist movement and cracked down on Baloch activists. This led to a cycle of violence and insurgency that continues to this day.

Furthermore, the economic factor has played a significant role in the Balochistan crisis. The region is rich in natural resources, including gas, oil, and minerals, making it a strategically important area for economic interests. However, the benefits of these resources have not been adequately shared with the local Baloch population, leading to economic disparities and marginalization. Instead, they have been marginalized and excluded from the economic and political mainstream of Pakistan. The exploitation of natural resources by external powers and multinational corporations has resulted in environmental degradation, displacement of local communities, and loss of livelihoods, fueling resentment among the Baloch people. The lack of development and investment in Balochistan has led to widespread poverty and unemployment, which in turn has fueled the insurgency.

Impacts of the Balochistan Crisis

The impacts of the Balochistan crisis have been severe, far-reaching and multifaceted. The province has witnessed frequent episodes of violence, including armed insurgency, bombings, and attacks on security forces, resulting in loss of lives and destruction of infrastructure. The security situation has deteriorated, with the presence of armed militant groups and separatist movements seeking greater autonomy or outright independence. The crisis has also affected the social fabric of the region, with issues such as poverty, illiteracy, and lack of basic amenities posing significant challenges to the well-being of the Baloch population.

The Balochistan crisis has also had regional and international implications. The instability in Balochistan has affected neighboring Afghanistan and Iran, both of which have large Baloch populations. The crisis has also attracted the attention of international human rights organizations and raised concerns about Pakistan’s treatment of its minority populations. Additionally, the Balochistan crisis has strained diplomatic relations among the countries involved, leading to regional tensions and further complicating efforts to find a resolution.

Remedies for the Balochistan Crisis

To address the Balochistan crisis, a multi-faceted approach is required. Firstly, addressing the historical and ethnic grievances of the Baloch people is essential. This includes recognizing and respecting their cultural identity, promoting inclusivity, and ensuring their representation in political and decision-making processes. Constructive dialogue and negotiations with Baloch leaders and representatives can provide a platform for addressing their grievances and finding peaceful solutions. The Pakistani government also needs to engage with Baloch nationalist groups and address their grievances. This could include greater autonomy for Balochistan, control over its resources, and representation in national institutions. The government could also work to build trust with Baloch activists by releasing political prisoners and investigating human rights abuses.

Secondly, addressing the economic disparities in Balochistan is crucial. Ensuring that the local Baloch population benefits from the natural resources of the region through fair distribution of revenues, employment opportunities, and socio-economic development initiatives can help address the economic grievances of the Baloch people. The government could invest in infrastructure and development projects in Balochistan, providing jobs and opportunities for the Baloch people. The government could also work to promote education and healthcare in the province, which would help to address some of the underlying causes of the insurgency.

Thirdly, improving the security situation in Balochistan is imperative. This involves addressing the issue of armed militancy and insurgency through a combination of security measures, socio-economic development, and dialogue. Efforts should be made to restore law and order, enhance the capacity of local security forces, and promote community policing. Simultaneously, socio-economic development initiatives, such as education, healthcare, and employment opportunities, should be prioritized to address the underlying socio-economic factors that contribute to insecurity.

The Balochistan crisis has its roots in historical, cultural, economic, and political factors. The impacts of the crisis have been severe, and it has had regional and international implications. Possible remedies include political and economic measures that address the grievances of the Baloch people and promote development and investment in the province. It is crucial for the Pakistani government to engage with Baloch nationalist groups and work towards a peaceful resolution of the Balochistan crisis.

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Essay on Water Crisis or Water Shortage in Pakistan with Outline

Essay on water crisis | water shortage in pakistan essay with outline for matric, intermediate, 2nd year, fa, fsc, ba and bsc.

Here is an essay on Water shortage in Pakistan with Outline for the students of Class 10, Class 12 and graduation. In this essay on the water crisis, we will discuss the importance of water in our daily life and how people are misusing it in our country. The source to get water, problems of people of interior Sindh and Balochistan, as well as Indian basin treaty, will also be discussed in Water Crisis Essay.

Essay on Water Shortage in Pakistan | Water Crisis in Pakistan Essay with Outline for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation

• Uses and importance of water in the life of a common man
• How people in Pakistan are ill-using this blessing
• People of interior Sind, and Balochistan bring water from a long distance for their daily use
• Source of getting water
• Indian Basin Treaty between Pakistan and India to built dams
• Suggestions to overcome water crisis
• Importance of Kala Bagh Dam

Water is a great endowment and blessing of God to man. Without water, life in this world is impossible. Water gives life and energy to everything. It is essential for the life and survival of human beings birds, beasts, plants and trees. It is the main source of energy and power. We use it for cooking our food and quenching our thirst. It is used for washing our clothes and bathing our body. It is the main source of irrigating our fields. Without it, we cannot conceive of life on earth.

Unfortunately, this great gift and blessing of God has been wasted and ill-used by the people of Pakistan. We have never paid any attention to preserve and save this great treasure of Nature. There are many areas in Pakistan where people do not get water for drinking purpose. In the interior Sind, and Balochistan, there are many towns and villages where people have to carry water from as far as thirty or forty kilometres away from their homes. The Women, children and old men have to undertake the long journey to carry water for their daily use. This is a very sad spectacle. The sources of getting water are very few and limited. Water is present in the subsoil of the earth. It Is brought to earth by the operation of tube wells and electric motors. The other source of water is the rivers, lakes and streams. Water comes into rivers and streams by the melting of massive and glaciers.

This source of getting water is quite doubtful and uncertain. Sometimes, the summer season begins late and these icebergs and glaciers are not melted in time. Consequently,0 the rivers and lakes become dry and barren. The country falls a victim to the shortage of water.

In 1960, a treaty between Pakistan and India was signed with World Bank meditation. The treaty is known as the “Indian Basin Treaty”. According to it, the control of waters of Ravi, Bias and Sutlag was given to India. It was decided that the Indian Govt. would help Pakistan in the construction of two large dams on the Indus and the Jhelum. But this was never fulfilled. Indian Govt. often stopped the flow of water in our rivers when it liked, out of sheer enmity.

The only way to overcome water crisis is to build dams on the river banks. The earliest dams were built to store water for domestic and agriculture. Hydropower became a major reason to build dams.

The construction of Kalabagh Dam is the need of the time. If it is not built in time, our country is going to face severe starvation and famine. Essay on Water Crisis or Water shortage in Pakistan , previously in Exams – P.U. 2000 B.Sc . However, you should look at Essay on Load Shedding with outline as well.

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September 16, 2018 at 12:07 pm

Essay length is very short

October 21, 2018 at 2:50 pm

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Baluchistan Crisis | CSS Essay

Baluchistan is situated in southwest of Pakistan and it covers over 347,190 sq km of total are of Pakistan.  About 43% of Pakistan’s territory comprises of Baluchistan.  Baluchistan has common border with Iran and Afghanistan in northwest.  There is a long coastline on the Arabian Sea in south.  Baluchistan mostly comprises of mountainous areas although there are some plain and deserted areas too.  Baluchistan is a rich part of Pakistan in mineral resources.  Apart from coal and gas Baluchistan also holds large proven reserves of aluminum, uranium, gold, silver, silica, ochre and other metals as well.  Land of Baluchistan is mostly barren and rugged.  It is said that Baluchistan also contains oil in substantial quantities. 

Estimated population of Baluchistan is 12.34 million out of which almost 52% population consists of Baloch, 36% Pashtuns and remaining 12% comprises of Uzbeks, Sindhi, Hazaras and Turkmens etc.  Pashtuns are situated mostly in northern areas of the province along the Border with Afghanistan.  Baloch has concentration in Baluchistan and other provinces of Pakistan as well, whereas most of them inhabit the southeastern area of Iran that is Irani Baluchistan. The Balochis have conserved their prehistoric tribal erection. Each tribe has its leader and consists of several bands. Generally, the connection to the Tumandar is due to powerful tribal chief and the Balochis thoughtlessly follow him. 

The bulging Balochi societies in Pakistan are Mengal, Bugti, Mohammad Hasni, Zehri, Bizenjo, Marri and Raisani. Differences between tribes and clans are not exceptional. Relating the way of life of the Balochi people, Encyclopedia Britannica perceives: “The Baluchis are traditionally nomads, but settled agricultural existence is becoming more common; every chief has a fixed residence. The villages are collection of mud or stone huts; on the hills, enclosures of rough stone walls are covered with matting to serve as temporary habitations. The Baluchis raise camels, cattle, sheep and goats, and engage in carpet making and embroidery. Their agricultural methods are primitive.” In 1952, the States of Baluchistan including Kalat, Kharan , Mekran and Las Bela were endorsed to form ‘The Baluchistan States’ Union’.

In 1955, these States were prepared a portion of the ‘One Unit’ or the sole domain of West Pakistan to enable the mounting of a composition on the basis of the belief of ‘parity’ between the two wings of the state. But by mid-1957 it became superficial that the partisan system recognized under the Structure of 1956 was not likely to endure. Forestalling the break-up of the ‘One Unit’, it is supposed, the Khan of Kalat prearranged a agitation to separate from Pakistan. On 6 October 1958, under the instruction of President Iskandar Mirza, Pakistan Military took control of the Kalat Palace and in detention the Khan on the custodies of sedition. Another account is that it was the consequence of a scheme devised by Iskandar Mirza who sought one more validation for commanding martial law. He had stimulated the Khan to petition renovation of his state, and the Khan fell into the con. On 7 October, Iskandar Mirza levied martial law on the country, and on 27 October 1958, the Chief Martial Law Superintendent, General Mohammad Ayub Khan, removed Mirza as the president to don full power. The detention of the Khan led to conflicts in some parts of Balochistan that persistent for about a year. It was during these turbulences that the sad incident connected to Nauroz Khan, one of the Khan’s Sardars, arose leaving permanent marks on the Balochi psyche. After struggling for several months, Nauroz Khan planned to surrender to the government of Pakistan. It is appealed that his surrender was tenable through ‘etabar’ or promise on the Holy Quran. But instead of given pardon by the government, he and his buddies were tried in a military court and sentenced. The government disallowed their pity petitions and seven of them were hanged. This incident made Nauroz Khan a champion in the Baloch folk-lore and the government of Pakistan unreliable in their eyes. The Khan of Kalat was later excused and unrestricted. Though the Marris were radicalized through the 1960s, which caused in some severe problems in 1962, the next major “insurrection” in Balochistan surfaced in 1973. Under Yahya Khan’s martial law, ‘One Unit’ was eliminated and united province of Balochistan, including previous Balochistan States and unswervingly ruled Balochistan terrain, was created on 1 July 1970. In the General Votes of December 1970, the National Awami Party and Jamiat-ul Ulema-i-Islam held mainstream of seats in the Balochistan Provincial Assembly. After the shocking events of 1971, which overdue the transmission of power, they formed their union government in Balochistan under the Temporary Constitution of 1972. This administration, in which Sardar Attaullah Khan Mengal was the Chief Minister and Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo the Governor, was discharged by the federal government in less than a year on the charges that it was in receipt of weapons from foreign countries and making for revolt or departure. Before the discharge of the Balochistan government, arms and bombs, allegedly meant for source to Baloch dissenters, were exposed in a attack on the Iraqi Embassy. The definite reasons for dismissal of the NAP-JUI administration were many: President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (he was not then Prime Minister) was not ready to let the provincial government controlled by the antagonism parties function and pursue a distinct agenda, the military founding had suspicions about the NAP due to the past association of many of its leaders with the Congress, their unproven links with India and the Soviet Union and their connotation with the ‘Pakhtunistan’ program. The Shah of Iran did not like the self-governing institutions to embellishment in Pakistani Balochistan for that had the abilities to destabilize Iranian Balochistan; and he also pushed Bhutto to act. As a result of the release of widely elected government, an supreme revolution took place in Balochistan in which the Marris were in the frontline and Sher Mohammad Marri became a fabled figure. The fatalities on the sides of the rebels and the government hordes were in thousands. Reportedly air power was also used and the rebels had to withdraw to the mountains from where they showed rebel warfare. Poignantly, Sardar Akbar Bugti, the Tumandar of the Bugti tribe, and Ahmad Yar Khan, the Khan of Kalat, were on the side of the federal government under Bhutto and were accordingly rewarded for their parts.The insurrection continued from 1973 to 1977 when General Zia-ul Haq performed a coup to oust Bhutto and inwards at an understanding with the imprisoned NAP leaders and the rebels. With this contextual in mind we come to the present state in Balochistan that needs to be looked at from national and international viewpoints, for it is far more multifaceted than what had been happening in the past.The geopolitical changes in the post-Cold War era, together with the catastrophic events related to 9/11, have instructed great importance to Balochistan and pulled Pakistan into what is referred to as the new ‘Great Game’, which is all about control of, and access to, the energy resources of Central Asia.

The most significant of all the projects is the Gwadar port that is being industrialized with the monetary and technical help of China. The agreement for the building of this deep-sea harbor on the Arabian Sea coast of Baluchistan was decided in 2001. The work on the project began in 2002 and its first phase was finalized in January 2005. The common Baluch, unschooled and cultivated in tribal culture, has strong promise to his chief and military action may lead to the participation of the Pakistan Armed forces in a prolonged and costly struggle. It is easy said than done that Pakistani hordes can flush out the troublemakers or destroy their reservations. No hesitation, the Baloch nationalists do not seem to have strength to safe parting of Baluchistan, but they do have the competence to damage transport and communication network at will through paramilitary warfare. The sons of Khair Bukhsh Marri have established a foreign-based network to obtain monetary support and weapons and ammo. The Baloch Liberation Army is said to be under their device. Akbar Bugti has his own power of about ten thousand tribesmen. If the Baloch nationalists are not ready to accept these circumstances, the Pakistan government would have authentic reasons to possibility to discerning military action against the troublemakers. See more>

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Devastating flash floods wreak havoc across Balochistan

Balochistan [Pakistan], April 16 (ANI): Balochistan finds itself in the grip of a relentless onslaught of devastating flash floods and unyielding rainfall, as reported by ARY News on Tuesday.

In various parts of the southwestern province, rainfall wreaks havoc, unleashing flash floods that engulf several districts. Harnai and its surrounding areas bear the brunt of the deluge, as local rivers and nullahs overflow, severing crucial land links and disrupting traffic along the Harnai- Quetta -Punjab highway for a fourth consecutive day.

Simultaneously, flooding wreaks havoc on the Sibi-Harnai railway section, damaging railway tracks and suspending train services for a second day. Railway officials confirmed that repair works are underway to address the damage, ARY News reported.

In Chagai district, chaos ensues as vehicles carrying picnickers are swept away by the torrential waters. Remarkably, passengers manage to escape to higher ground, seeking refuge in nearby hills, as confirmed by the district administration.

Meanwhile, in Toba Kakari , Pishin , a local dam faces a breach, prompting urgent action from authorities. Deputy Commissioner Jumadad Mandokhel highlights efforts by the PDMA and irrigation department to reinforce the dam with earthfilling, a technique employed for the first time in 48 years.

In Naseerabad district, the relentless surge of floodwaters inundates Bala Nari, forcing local residents to evacuate to safer grounds. Additionally, extensive flooding devastates wheat crops across several acres in Mithri, exacerbating agricultural losses in the region.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department issues grim forecasts, predicting more rainfall amidst the devastating flash floods in Balochistan . Despite the ongoing deluge, more rains are expected in the province until April 19, according to the Met Office.

Recent rainfall data reveals substantial precipitation across various districts, with Quetta recording 33 mm, and Sibbi, Dalbandin, and Zhob each receiving 28 mm. Other districts also report significant rainfall, further exacerbating the crisis.

On Monday, strong winds and gusts prevail in Gwadar, Kech, Panjgur, and Turbat, compounding the challenges faced by affected communities.

Acknowledging the severity of the situation, the Balochistan government declares a state of emergency in response to continuous heavy rains that have battered several districts, resulting in casualties and injuries across the province, ARY News reported. (ANI)