he monsoon rains last year broke many previous records. Even the Meteorological Department had not expected so heavy a downpour. On the other hand, Balochistan is yet to receive a rain in 2023. Rains or no rains, the residents of the country’s largest province continue to suffer from water scarcity. Safe drinking water is not available to a large population. In many areas tube-wells have to be dug to a depth of 1,000 feet.

The rains last year taught two lessons to the people of Balochistan. The first was that water should be conserved. The second lesson was a warning that if we do not prepare for the rains, rains can wreak havoc. The rural areas were the most affected following the rains. In the years to come, the devastation will be a challenge for the poor and the rich alike.

Currently, water security and availability in the region is critically low. According to the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), the water table in Balochistan went down from 200 feet below surface level to more than 1,000 feet over the last decade.

In Balochistan, the intensity of the crisis varies from district to district. In early 2022, the situation in Turbat was particularly serious. In May last year, people in Pir Koh and Dera Bugti did not have water to quench their thirst. Students at the Loralai Medical College had to fetch water from other places. The situation in several other parts of the province was no different.

The rains in the subsequent months painted an entirely different picture. Before the rains, many people did not even have water to drink. After the floods, many houses were drowned in water, even if they still had to go looking for potable water. Floods are something nobody can wish for even as they bring plenty of water.

But, in a way, floods brought an opportunity to tackle the issue of water scarcity in the province. The issue now is more of a governance problem. If rainwater is collected efficiently, the problem will ease. Unfortunately, the Irrigation Department lacks the capacity to take on the challenge.

Quetta experienced a drought-like situation for eight years, from 1998 till 2005. The karez system became functional in the aftermath of the 2022 rains after a very long time. The people of Pishin, Barshor and Khanozai said they had not expected the system to start functioning once again.

Quetta experienced a drought-like situation for eight years, from 1998 till 2005. The karez system got restored after the 2022 rains. The people in Pishin, Barshor and Khanozai had not expected the system to function again.

The karez system is older than Pakistan. For long, it was a reliable source of water and people watered their farms with the help of this water. It may not be wrong to connect the restarting of flow of water in the karez system to the heavy downpour in 2022.

The rain also caused the low water table in many parts of the province to rise significantly. Many people who were on the verge of saying goodbye to agriculture have reviewed their decision, at least for the next few years.

Many water storage stations – small dams in particular – have filled up. An example of this is the Bund Khushdil Khan, which has filled to capacity. It may be pointed out that the failure of some dams had nothing to do with heavy rains. Those, in fact, failed due to poor construction. This has put a big question mark on the professional acumen of the engineers in charge.

There is no doubt about the scale of the devastation. To mitigate the effects of the rains in the coming years, preparations should be started right away.

The capacity of the existing dams should be increased. They should also be made stronger and safer. People residing in villages close to water bodies should be helped in building resilient houses. The illegal constructions obstructing the natural pathways of storm water must be relocated.

It is a good idea for the provincial government to engage the local community by arranging workshops on how and when to vacate houses to ensure safety. An awareness of early warning systems should be a part of the agenda.

Another consideration should be to make the programmes more effective. This can be achieved by involving local scholars.

If the government succeeds in implementing a well-designed policy, it will help the province conserve more water and avoid much of the flood damage. The people should be prepared to face heavy rains and benefit from those.

It is hoped that the build-back-better plans will be carried out timely. Doing things at the eleventh hour does not reflect sound policies. If the residents and the authorities are not prepared in advance, heavy rains in 2023 can be even more harmful for both the rich and the poor than in 2022.

The writer is a civil engineer. He tweets @DawoodKhanHere. He can be reached at dawoodkhan0666@gmail.com