Syed Ali Shah:
QUETTA: Lawmakers in the Balochistan Assembly from both the government and opposition sides voiced deep concerns over the province’s plummeting groundwater levels, unanimously calling on authorities to fast-track dam construction to avert a severe water disaster.
The consensus came during a parliamentary debate over a motion tabled by JUI-F legislator Syed Zafar Agha. The resolution, which specifically urged the building of new water reservoirs in the Pishin district, was passed with full house backing as members warned that unchecked water scarcity is rapidly jeopardizing agricultural livelihoods and everyday life across the region.
Addressing the assembly, Planning and Development Minister Mir Zahoor Buledi flagged unmonitored groundwater extraction as a primary trigger behind the environmental strain. He explained that while the proliferation of solar-powered tube wells has helped power local farming, it has simultaneously led to over-pumping, putting the province’s aquifers under alarming pressure.
Meanwhile, Irrigation Minister Mir Muhammad Sadiq Umrani directed attention to budget limitations, pointing out that federal funding allocations remain insufficient to construct essential water infrastructure across Balochistan. He noted that his ministry has repeatedly appealed to the center for emergency development grants to build storage dams capable of mitigating both chronic droughts and seasonal flood disasters.
Following extensive deliberation, assembly members urged both provincial and federal leadership to intervene immediately, stressing that sustainable water management policies and immediate dam construction are vital to safeguarding Balochistan’s future.
