NASIRABAD: Landowners and residents of the Rabi Canal-1 region, including Saleh Kot and Pitafi, have urged the Government of Balochistan to intervene immediately to resolve a worsening water crisis.
They appealed to Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, the chief secretary, the corps commander, the irrigation secretary, and senior district officials for urgent action.
The residents said the Irrigation Department in Nasirabad has failed for months to deliver water to the canal’s tail-end areas. They alleged that other areas continue to receive water through political favoritism.
They warned that the tail-end settlements now face severe devastation. Ponds have dried up, and both people and livestock are suffering from acute water shortages.
Residents said that if water does not reach the area soon, livestock will die and families will be forced to migrate. They accused irrigation officials of serving influential individuals while ignoring poor communities.
Earlier, the Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb had released a government report, showing that most of the country’s highly vulnerable districts are in Balochistan.
The report uses the District Vulnerability Index for Pakistan (DVIP) to measure disparities in human development. It found that 17 of the 20 most vulnerable districts are located in Balochistan.
Dr. Malik said Balochistan’s vulnerability stems from weak access to health care, education, and basic infrastructure. “Even the best districts do not have a good standing, and the worst part is that 17 out of the 20 most vulnerable districts are in Balochistan,” he said.
