Water crises are worsening in Pakistan’s major cities, Quetta and Islamabad, sparking concerns over public health and urban sustainability.
In Quetta, the water table has dropped 300 feet over the past decade and continues to fall by nearly 30 feet annually. The city is at risk of becoming a “ghost city,” with officials even considering relocating the capital if conditions deteriorate further.
Meanwhile, Islamabad is facing severe water contamination, raising health concerns for residents. Health officials are increasingly worried about “blue-baby syndrome,” a condition caused by nitrate contamination in drinking water.
In Quetta and four other cities identified as “dark zones,” groundwater levels have reached dangerously low depths, with some areas reporting levels below 1,200 feet, according to the Ministry of Water Resources.
“Quetta is on the verge of becoming a ghost city. So many deep wells have been installed in the suburbs that we might need to relocate the capital in a few years,” warned Syed Ali Murtaza, Secretary of Water Resources, during a briefing to a parliamentary panel on Monday.
Between 2010 and 2021, districts across Balochistan saw significant groundwater depletion, with some areas experiencing drops of over 300 feet. Quetta’s water table fell from 300 feet in 2010 to 600 feet in 2021, with an average yearly depletion of 30 feet, according to an official document.
Murtaza emphasized that even if groundwater extraction were halted immediately, it would take 30 years for the water table to fully recover. He warned that if no action is taken, agriculture and orchards will collapse, and even solar-powered systems won’t be able to extract water from the ground. Balochistan could face a complete water collapse within three to four years, he added.
He also stressed that there is no “engineering solution” to the crisis, stating that small dams and other minor interventions will not be sufficient. The only effective measure is to stop groundwater extraction altogether, calling for urgent enforcement of water regulations.
The Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources, chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan, expressed serious concerns about the groundwater shortage in Balochistan. Despite the declining water levels, the federal government has been installing solar-powered tube wells in the region.
Islamabad, on the other hand, is grappling with a public health crisis due to severely contaminated drinking water. Pollutants such as nitrates have been detected, increasing the risk of “blue-baby syndrome” in infants. The presence of coliform bacteria also indicates contamination by harmful pathogens, leading to health problems like diarrhea, nausea, and cramps.
Islamabad’s water supply is critically low, with the city receiving only 80 million gallons per day (MGD) against a demand of 129 MGD. This supply comes from outdated pipelines connected to Simly Dam, Khanpur Dam, Rawal Dam, and tube wells.
The situation in Balochistan is similarly dire. Groundwater levels in districts like Qila Abdullah have fallen by 350 feet over the past decade, with an annual decline of 32 feet. Pishin’s water levels have dropped from 300 feet to 650 feet, and other districts like Mastung, Loralai, and Zhob have experienced similar declines.
A senior hydrologist in Quetta told the committee that the current rate of depletion is unsustainable. Without urgent regulation of groundwater extraction, Balochistan could face severe water scarcity shortly.
The Additional Secretary of the Irrigation Department of Balochistan acknowledged the crisis but noted that the existing Balochistan Ground Water Rights Administration Ordinance of 1978 lacks enforcement power. Senate Chairman Shahadat Awan pushed for stronger legislation to regulate water usage, and officials requested six months to revise the laws.
Despite a ban on installing tube wells without district approval, violations are common, worsening the crisis. Syed Mehar Ali Shah, Additional Secretary of Water Resources, said that despite calls in 2019 for stricter monitoring of groundwater, the situation remains unchanged.
The committee underscored the need for immediate action to prevent a full-blown water crisis in Balochistan. Regarding Islamabad’s contaminated water, the Secretary of Water Resources noted that an international standards report had been submitted to the caretaker government earlier this year, attributing the issue to governance failures.
Additional Secretary Mehar Ali Shah mentioned that efforts to regulate water safety through law have stalled. Though a draft was approved by the Cabinet Committee for Disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC), the Cabinet redirected the matter to the Ministry of Interior and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in February 2024. A CDA official confirmed that water testing is conducted every two months, blaming contamination on poor wastewater treatment infrastructure.
The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) reported that 22 of Islamabad’s 127 tube wells are unsafe. Additionally, 39 out of 108 water plants and five of the city’s 12 waterworks show dangerous contamination levels. In rural areas, 33 out of 41 water systems tested positive for nitrate and microbial contamination.
The parliamentary panel instructed the PCRWR to submit a comprehensive water quality report within two weeks. Groundwater levels in Islamabad have also plummeted, with the water table now sitting between 150-300 feet, down from 35-40 feet in the 1960s, depleting by an average of 3-4 feet annually.
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thanks to military and sharifs we wont even have water to drink.