From a fertile to a drought

Civil Society

From a fertile to a drought-stricken land

The fact-finding team that.surveyed the drought-.stricken area of Balochistan received reports and suggestions, from several organisations / individuals. Some excerpts from these:

Pishin

Pishin is known for its fertile land. The total area of this district is 5,800 square kilometers. Total population is 400,000. About 150,000 Afghan refugees also reside in Pishin. The people of Pishin belong mainly to (a) agriculture and 2) trade. Irrigation system is dependent on karez, tubewells, and the Dam Kushdil Khan. The district has four tehsils: 1. Pishin, 2. Barshore, 3. Karezat, 4. Marmazi.

For the past three years lack of rain has placed the landlords, farmers and cattle breeders in a very difficult position. The federal and the provincial governments did not take this issue seriously and therefore did not undertake any future planning. In the past agriculture in district Pishin depended upon the karez system and fresh water ponds but since 1969 district Pishin has been supplied with electricity which has made installation of tube wells possible.

Now there are 137 karezes and 25 tube wells catering to the needs of the people. Yet Barshore, Karez, Toba Kakri, Toba Achakzai, Marmazi and a few other areas of Pishin are totally dependent upon karez and fresh water ponds. The plains are entirely dependent upon tube wells. The level of underground water table was 150 to 200 ft in 1976. In. 1996 it went down to 300 ft, and in 1999 there was further deterioration, pushing the water table down to 400 ft. In the first four months of the current year the level of the water table reached 500 ft below the ground. This year due to the drought most of the karezes dried up in the mountainous region leading to total ruin of orchards spread over hundreds of thousands of acres. If the karez are not cleaned and the floors of the fresh water ponds are not cemented, delayed action dams and check dams are not created, the people will begin to migrate from the mountainous region. The government should make arrangements for the jobless youth, otherwise the rate of crime could rise steeply.

The drought has led to breaking out of epidemics which, have severely affected children due to non-availability of medical facilities. The cattle breeders in the district had approximately 1,600,000 animals. These included approximately 670,544 sheeps, 530,600 goats, 3,400 camels, 5,000 horses, 90,600 cows, 32,000 buffaloes. During the current drought animals in a large number have died.

According to a survey by Anjuman Naujawanan Marmazi almost one-fourth of the cattle have died and the rest are nearing death. A sheep worth Rs 3,000 is being sold in the market for Rs. 150 to 200. If the cattle breeders are not provided vaccine and fodder a larger number of animals may perish. Almost 20,000 families of cattle breeders are on the brink of disaster. Provincial and federal governments should try to provide protection to these families and compensate them for their loss. Help may also be sought from international aid agencies.

The majority of the population resides in the plains of Pishin and there are 2,000 tube wells which, have suffered a lot due to the falling level of the underground water table. The orchards developed after thirty years of hard work have been ruined. The affluent farmers are installing more tube wells in order to save their orchards while the poor farmers are facing total ruin.

The largest water reservoir in the district is Khushhal Khan dam. It was built in 1890 and it is built on eight sq kms. Its water supply was meant for 40,000 acres of land in five villages. Originally it was 38 ft deep. Now it is only eight feet deep because it has not been cleaned for several years and does not have even a single drop of water. The water table has also gone down significantly. Besides this dam there are 54 delay action dams and canals. Most of the canals and dams have been filled with mud due to negligence and are completely dry during the current drought. These canals and dams also need to be cleaned. The following suggestions merit immediate consideration:

1. The cattle breeders should be supplied vaccine, fodder, and monetary assistance to help them through these difficult times.

2. Due to the fall in the level of the underground water table majority of the farmers are becoming impoverished. Under these circumstances their outstanding dues towards the government should be written off. The landlords taken into custody should be released and provided monetary assistance by the government. Dams should be constructed to stop the level of water table from falling any further. All the karezes, drains and ponds should be cleaned, canals should be built and monetary assistance should be given, to farmers and cattle breeders. -Anjumane-Naujawanan, Marntazi

Quetta

The province of Balochistan is suffering from drought due to lack of rain for the past several years. Out of 805 karezes only 75 are supplying water and that too in a very small quantity. There are 14,000 tube wells in the province. Most of the tube wells have dried up and those that are working are only providing water at nearly half the normal capacity. Even these tube wells may not be functional after a few months.

The crops have dried up due to lack of water and are now being used only as fodder for animals. The fruit trees or crops that have survived the drought are also very weak. The contractors are not carrying out contracts with orchard owners. We appeal to our countrymen for help for the 23 crisis-stricken districts of Balochistan. Our demands are:

Dues of electricity bills of Balochistan's agricultural tube wells should be written off.

Landlords who have been arrested for not repaying their loans should be released and their loans waived off.

Delay action dams should be constructed to stop the underground water table from falling.

The drought is not confined to a few districts, 23 districts have been affected. -Baloclristan Zamindar Action Committee

Barshore

Barshore is the largest sub-division in terms of its area. Bordering Afghanistan it has a population of more than 10.0,000. Most of the people are poor and depend upon cattle breeding and agriculture.

Since it has not rained for two years the karezes and tube wells have dried up. People are migrating because they do not have the funds to repair tube wells or the karez. People have left their cattle to die in the mountains. Our society carried out a survey and found that only 5% of the animals in Barshore have survived.

It is imperative on the part of the government to come to the rescue of the people. -- Abdul Seller Rahiyab, Chairman, Young Social Welfare Society, Barshore.

Most of the tubewells in Kulli Hai kal Zai have dried up. Cattle breeders have migrated because of lack of fodder. We cannot migrate because we own land. We are really suffering because 400 goats have died and only 80 have survived. Chickens have been fed the wheat seeds. On the other hand WA PDA and Agricultural Bank have put a lot of pressure on us. People do not have food for their children but WAPDA has had them arrested for not paying electricity bills. Kindly take up our case with the highest authorities - Naimullah Tareen, Kulli Haikal Zai, Pishin

Sharon karez has totally dried up and there is no water for even one crop. Drinking water too is not sufficient to meet our needs. Our orchards and crops have dried up completely. Since there is no fodder, five cows, two camels and 132 goats have died.

If something is not done to control this situation we will have to migrate.---- Syed Ahdul Qadir, Sharon Karen near Kali Jadda, district Pishin