A survey of livestock and agriculture damages is under way in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and compensation to the affected farmers and livestock owners will be given according to the government policy.

A number of people, including farmers and livestock owners, in KP have been affected by the floods and need government support.

Livestock Director General Dr Alamzaib Khan said the scale of losses to these sectors would be higher than estimates as many valleys in Kalam, Bahrain, Madyan, Kohistan, Kumrat, Dir Upper and Dir Lower were still out of reach of the officials due to destruction of roads and bridges by the floods.

Dr Alamzaib said floods in the Indus River and Koh-e-Suleman starting from South and North Waziristan tribal districts and adjoining valleys had brought havoc to livestock and poultry sectors in DI Khan and Tank.

He said compilation of flood losses would take time. Nomads also have borne the brunt of livestock and poultry losses in upper areas of Dasu, Kolas Palai, Dubair and others valleys in Kohistan, he said.

Speaking to WealthPK, an agriculture department official said 5,000 water ponds and 330 small water reservoirs would be constructed to control flash floods. The ponds would irrigate over 12,500 acre in KP. Likewise, he said, 3,000 check dams would be constructed for storage of floods and rainwater in five years that would irrigate 7,500 unproductive lands.

Similarly, a plan has been made for the construction of 330 water reservoirs, including small dams, with a potential to irrigate 99,000 acre. The construction of 2,500 banks stabilization, 1,000 gated field inlets and outlets would help irrigate 2,500 acre. Likewise, 925 acre would be under irrigation through construction of 370 water storage galleries, explained the official.

In order to increase cultivation areas in KP, he said, the agriculture department would convert 230 sand mounds in agriculture lands through the Directorate of Soil Conservation. The National Water Policy of 2018 reveals that Pakistan is heading towards a situation of water shortage due to lack of dams, which may lead to food insecurity in future.

“The per capita surface water availability had declined from 5,260 cubic meters per year in the country in 1951 to around 1,000 cubic meters in 2016. This quantity is likely to further drop to 860 cubic meters in next few years, marking Pakistan’s transition from a water-stressed country to a water-scarce country,” reveals the water policy.

The groundwater level is expected to further drop in the country, mostly in Punjab and Sindh, where over one million tubewells and car washing pumps are currently pumping about 55 MAF of underground water, which is 20pc more than that available from canals.

The forests department said it’s time to swiftly shift our approach from construction of big dams to small water reservoirs. The water resources are inextricably linked with climate and the impending climate change and global warming scenario has posed serious implications for Pakistan’s water and agriculture resources.

Tauheed Khan, former Conservator Forests KP, said, “The unpredictable precipitation patterns as witnessed during recent monsoon might have serious consequences, including flash floods in north and increasingly prolonged droughts in the south due to global warming.”

He added that with glaciers retreat, more glacial lakes would form especially in Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral, which would increase the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF) in future.

Prof Dr Muhammad Naeem of Swabi University is concerned about increasing rainfalls. He said Pakistan receives around 142 MAF water annually through western rivers of which 104 MAF is used for irrigation purposes, and approximately 40 MAF water is obtained from normal rainfall and 40pc through underground water per year. He said Pakistan could increase its water storage capacity as it has the potential to construct 1,000 dams.

As many as 25 MAF could be obtained through early construction of Mohmand, Kurram Tangi and Bhasha dams and 15 MAF through construction of water courses, 15 MAF through land levelling, nine MAF through utilization of hills torrent flows and six MAF through better water management, he said.

A spokesman for the Small Dams Irrigation Department said 24 small dams in  KP with storage capacity of 75,008 acre feet (AF) covering 49,523 acres of cultivated command areas (CCA) are being constructed with the financial assistance of the federal government. Pezu dam in Lakki Marwat, Khattak Bandhan dam in Kohat, and Makh Banda dam in Karak were completed by the federal government.

He said Ichar and Manchura dams at Mansehra, Chashma Akora Khel dam in Karak, Sarozai dam in Hangu, Sanam dam in Lower Dir, Bada dam and Ulta dam in Swabi were constructed jointly by the federal and provincial governments.

Seven medium dams including Bara dam in Khyber, Tank Zam in Tank, Shiekh Haider Zam, Chaudwan Zam, Daraban, and Kora Nullah in DIKhan and Larzan small dam in Tank with water storage capacity of 520,884 MAF covering 171,748 acres of CCA besides 31.5 megawatt power generation capacity are in design stage.

He said designs of seven medium dams including Barwasa and Sher Dara Swabi, Sumri Payan Kohat, Surkhaway Mardan, Naki Nowshera, Shaheed Banda Charssadda and Tora Warae Hangu with the total cumulative water storage capacity of 13,014 AF covering 14,935 acres of CCA have been completed.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk