The rainwater harvesting project carried out by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) in Cholistan Thar is now saving Rs 6 billion annually as now water is available in the desert throughout the year with reduction in the migration of human and livestock.
The loss caused due to reduction in livestock production in the form of mortality, diseases, loss of meat and milk as well as damage to crops in canal-irrigated areas have been saved. Further, micro-climate around the reservoirs has also been improved. Now birds and other wild life can be seen frequently around the reservoirs as well as more and new vegetation species can also be identified.
PCRWR Chairman Muhammad Aslam Tahir told APP that the project in Cholistan desert was initiated with the objective to make regular water supply to the people and livestock for drinking to save them from drought effects. The 1999 drought brought the plight of the desert people and their herds to the attention of the authorities. To solve the problem of drinking water for human and livestock in the Cholistan, the PCRWR prepared a research and development project based on its successful research carried out at Dingarh Field Research station in the Cholistan desert.
The PCRWR Chairman said the studies in Cholistan had shown that the prerequisite that land needs to have a good water collection area and its water infiltration rate should be low.
He said that the research results carried out in the Cholistan desert for the last 20 years have been multiplied and distributed throughout the desert, spread over 26000sq km. Talking to APP, Director General Desertification Control(PCRWR) Muhammad Akram said PCRWR conducted research on rainwater harvesting system and identified the potential for water resources development from rainfall more than 307 million cubic meter runoff annually in normal rainy years.
He said the Council has harvested and collected rainwater in the 92 reservoirs each with storage capacity of 15000 cubic meter after proper scientific surveys. These surveys are for identification of catchments, topography, soil profiles, vegetation, hummocks, seepage, evaporation, development of catchments and design of reservoirs for drinking of human and livestock population.
The water requirement for drinking of human and livestock population 0.1 million and 2.0 million in Cholistan respectively is 7.0 million cubic meter.
While the remaining rain runoff of 300 million cubic meter annually can be made available for farm production in Cholistan desert for the social up gradation of community. The PCRWR developed many reservoirs (ponds) in Cholistan and the water collected in it is utilized for human, livestock and wildlife drinking as well as for domestic use as a primary requirement of life.
