In the Pera Koh area of the Dera Bugti constituency in Pak-occupied-Balochistan, local residents are grappling with a severe shortage of water. Sadly, this region is also the puppet Chief Minister’s jurisdiction. The scarcity has reached a point where a young boy, desperate for water at home, stopped a water tanker belonging to the OGDCL company. He pleaded for some drums of water, but he was arrested by individuals in plain clothes.
Over the past two decades, Pak-occupied-Balochistan’s once lush green pastures have transformed into deserts due to the relentless water shortage. Last December, residents of Pasni, a tehsil in the Gwadar district, took to the streets to protest the perpetual water crisis. Led primarily by women, the protesters disrupted traffic temporarily as they gathered outside the Assistant Commissioner’s office in Pasni. Their demands were: an immediate restoration of the water supply to address the ongoing crisis.
The water level continues to plummet rapidly in Quetta, Pishin, Killa Abdullah, Kalat, Mastung, Khuzdar, Loralai, and other districts across the province. Pak-occupied-Balochistan relies heavily on underground water for both drinking and agriculture.
Water crisis
With tube wells serving as the primary source of water, the excessive extraction has led to a significant decline in the underground water table. Instead of being around 200 to 300 feet deep like they used to be, many wells now reach depths of over 1,000 feet.
This scarcity has forced farmers to abandon their fruit orchards, resulting in a noticeable decrease in orchard numbers, particularly in northern and central Balochistan, renowned for apple, grape, and other fruit production. Moreover, the water shortage has left thousands unemployed, making matters worse for an already challenging situation.
Since the forceful and brutal occupation by the Pak Army in 1948, Balochistan has endured a painful environment. Not only is the Pak Army exploiting the resources along with the Chinese, but also the innocent Baloch population has suffered countless atrocities.