Shaukat Korai

Small dams built in the rain-fed Kirthar Range and Thar Desert of Sindh are proving effective in combating the impacts of droughts, boosting agricultural production and raising the groundwater level. The Sindh government has constructed 205 small dams, bringing new hope for both human life and biodiversity in the region.

Residents of Nagarparkar tehsil of the Tharparkar district, which lies at the foot of Karoonjhar Mountains, said approximately 50 rechargeable small dams had been constructed in the three union councils to harvest rainwater. Speaking to Wealth Pakistan, they said they use the stored water for cultivation and other purposes.

The region typically faces prolonged droughts. Qamber Ali Khoso, a resident of Nagarparkar, said that when it rained on Karoonjhar mountains, torrents of rainwater flow down, and the dam situated right at the mouth of this flow, captures every drop.

He said he lifts water from the dam using solar energy to be used for cultivating vegetables and mustard on four acres of his land. He noted that the dam's construction has not only made crop cultivation possible but has also raised the groundwater level. “Previously, the groundwater depth was 200-250 feet, which has now decreased to between 70 and 60 feet, raising the subsoil water level significantly.”

“Before the construction of the dam, I used to pump water out of wells. The water level there was very deep. If we pumped out water continuously for an hour, the subsoil water level would drop and he had to take breaks to allow for recharging. Now, all of this has changed,” Qamber explained.

According to the Irrigation and Small Dams Division, 205 small rechargeable dams have been constructed in the Kirthar Range/Kohistan and Thar Desert, out of these 126 are in Kohistan region. These two regions nearly make up half of Sindh's total area. These areas entirely rely on rainfall as they do not receive water from the Indus River through barrages.

Abdullah Burghari, Chief Engineer of the Small Dams Division, told Wealth Pakistan that the purpose of the small dams was to recharge the aquifer and store rainwater. “Previously, rainwater was wasted without proper utilisation due to a lack of dams; however, a significant portion of rainwater is now saved through this initiative.”

“Before the small dams’ initiative, the people of the Thar Desert, as well as Lower, Central, and Upper Kohistan, lived in miserable conditions, often leading a nomadic lifestyle. They would move to barrage areas with their livestock to earn a livelihood during droughts,” he said. “Now the migration of people to the Barrage Command has been reduced significantly due to small dams initiative, enabling them to cultivate their agricultural lands. The people are permanently settling in Thar Desert and Kohistan areas,” Burghari said.

Dr Attaullah Khan, Director of the Pakistan Agriculture Council, Umerkot, said that small dams brought new life to biodiversity, livestock and human life in Thar and Kohistan regions.

“People of both regions were experiencing acute water shortages. Due to climate change subsoil water level has gone down drastically. However, the small dams initiative has brought huge improvement in subsoil water level, which has now risen to 60-70 feet from the previous 200-250 feet,” he added.

“The small dams’ project has brought economic activity to the residents, enabling them to cultivate previously barren land and create a sustainable income,” Attaullah said.

He stated that there was a need to develop high-efficiency irrigation systems, such as drip irrigation, to save water and boost crop productivity. “The region has the potential to grow olives, wheat, fruits, ispaghol, chillies and corn.”

Credit: INP-WealthPk