The government has completed around 3,846 small-scale rainwater harvesting (RWH) schemes, ponds and tanks so far in the country as part of efforts to promote appropriate technologies for water storage in rural as well as urban areas. Out of the total, 3,606 schemes have been completed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 180 in Punjab and 60 in Sindh, according to documents available with WealthPK. Keeping in view the emerging water needs, the government is promoting technologies for RWH under the National Water Policy (NWP).

Consistent with the NWP, the concept of rainwater harvesting is being used in the country for water conservation for crops and livestock, as well as groundwater recharge. Countrywide data regarding progress on the implementation of various RWH projects in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) showed that 69 check dams/RWH ponds etc. have been completed.

Currently, 39 RWH schemes are in progress in the capital area of Islamabad, while 57 schemes have been planned for ICT up to 2024. In Sindh province, through the federal government funding, around 28 small storage/mini dams have been completed. The number of ongoing mini-dam projects is seven, while the total storage of the completed mini-dams is 166,743 acre-feet (i.e. 0.167 MAF) which can irrigate 85,191 acres of agricultural land.

Similarly, under its Annual Development Plan (ADP), the Sindh government built 36 small storage dams/delay action dams, retention weirs and impervious sub-surface outflow (ISSO) barriers while working in progress on 12 ongoing mini dam projects. The total storage of the completed mini dams in Sindh is 230,951 acre-feet (0.231 MAF) to irrigate 91,409 acres of land. Water storage schemes have also been completed in Balochistan, including the completion of the Abato dam and Sanza dam in the Chaman area of Balochistan province while work on Diasara dam is in process.The statistics show that 65 dams have been completed in district Killa Abdullah.

In district Killa Saifullah, work on 71 dams, 200 small check dams for ground water recharge in Quetta, and construction of 100 delay action dams in Tehsil Dobandi, Gulistan, Killa Abdullah and Chaman (in Balochistan province) have been completed.

The other work completed in Balochistan include Sirki Taleri dam (three small dams in Chaman), small dams in Tehsil Khaliqabad District Kalat, 10 small storage check dams in Arenji, Wadh, District Khuzdar, construction of Bugmaodwan storage/delay action dam in District Chaghi, small dams in District Khuzdar, development of water resources by the construction of small/check dam and construction of delay action dams in different areas of the province.

In KP province, 13 small dams have been completed, while 14 others are under various stages of execution. In Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the construction of 600 water tanks and harvesting structures for storage of 4.5 million gallons of water is in progress, while a feasibility study for the Bhimber dam project having a storage capacity of 40,000 AF has been completed. Moreover, a feasibility study of 34 mini dams to store 14,200 AF of water has also been completed with the assistance of donors.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk