ADB approves $100m to address water shortages in Balochistan

 KARACHI: The Asian Development Bank has approved a $100 million loan to address chronic water shortages and increase earnings on farms in Balochistan.

The ‘Balochistan Water Resources Development Sector Project’ will focus on improving irrigation infrastructure and water resource management in the Zhob and Mula river basins.

“Agriculture accounts for almost two-thirds of Balochistan’s economic output and employs 60% of the province’s 13 million population,” according to the ADB.

“Agriculture is the backbone of Bolochistan’s economy,” said ADB Principal Water Resources Specialist Yaozhou Zhou. “This project will build irrigation channels and dams, and introduce efficient water usage systems and practices, to help farmers increase food production and make more money.”

Among the infrastructure that will be upgraded or built for the project is a dam with the capacity to hold 36 million cubic meters of water, and 276 kilometers of irrigation channels and drainage canals.

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Published in The Balochistan Point on September 4, 2018