Scarcity of water resources in rural area of Quetta District; challenges and preparedness

Abstract

This research was motivated by the statement appearing in the media and in the government reports that Quetta is going to run out of water in the near future. The study aims to explore the causes and impact of water scarcity from a socio-economic perspective. The study is based on both the primary and secondary data. The primary data is collected in the rural area of Quetta district from farmers through a well structure questionnaire, whereas secondary data is collected from the online accessible sources. The results indicate that water level has reached to an alarming level in the selected area, primarily due to a subsidy on electric tube wells, indiscriminate installation of tubewells, violation of tubewells spacing norms, growing of high delta crops, population growth, and poor drought management. This affects the people of the area in terms of decline in Kareze irrigation system, depletion of groundwater level, deteriorating health conditions, and uncalled migration from the area. Based on the results, the study recommends effective strategies for putting a restriction on the installation of new tube wells in the study area. Moreover, there is a need of instantaneous campaigns for educating farmers on the efficient use of water and awareness regarding conservation of water resources.