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 thenear future. The study aims to explore the causes and impact of water scarcity fromasocio-economicperspective. The study is based onboth the primary and secondary data. Theprimary data iscollected intheruralarea of Quetta district from farmersthrough a wellstructurequestionnaire, whereassecondary 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 toasubsidyon electric tubewells, indiscriminate installation of tubewells,violation of tubewellsspacing norms, growing of high delta crops, population growth,andpoor drought management. This affects the people of the area in terms of decline in Karezeirrigation system, depletion of groundwaterlevel, deteriorating health conditions, and uncalled migration from the area. Based on the results,the study recommendseffective strategies for puttingarestrictionon the installation of new tubewellsin the study area. Moreover, there is a need ofinstantaneous campaigns for educating farmers on the efficient use of water and awareness regarding conservation of water resources.