Quetta Faces Severe Water Crisis; Commissioner Orders Immediate Implementation of Water Emergency Action Plan

**Quetta:** In response to the escalating water shortage in Quetta, **Commissioner Quetta Division Shahzeb Khan Kakr** chaired a high-level meeting on the city’s **Water Security and Resources Action Plan**, emphasizing immediate action and strict monitoring.

The meeting was attended by divisional development officials, Project Director QDP Rafiq Baloch, representatives from WASA, the Irrigation Department, BUETMZ, University of Balochistan experts, and other engineers and specialists. Discussions focused on safeguarding underground water reserves, preventing illegal and excessive water use, and ensuring sustainable water availability for the future.

The Commissioner warned that Quetta’s water situation has reached a **critical level**, and without urgent measures, residents could face severe shortages of drinking water in the coming years. He stressed that **illegal tube wells** and excessive water usage for agriculture and commercial purposes are rapidly depleting underground reservoirs, posing a long-term threat.

Key decisions included the **development of a comprehensive emergency action plan**, installation of **water treatment plants**, provision of alternative water sources for commercial units, and promotion of **sprinkler and drip irrigation systems** in agriculture to optimize water use. A **monitoring system** will also be established to maintain balance between water consumption and recharge.

The plan also calls for rainwater harvesting and the creation of small recharge points in homes and government buildings to replenish underground water levels. Officials were directed to implement both short-term and long-term policies systematically.

Commissioner Shahzeb Khan Kakr instructed all relevant departments to collaborate and ensure **immediate execution** of the Water Security and Resources Action Plan to prevent Quetta from facing a severe water crisis in the near future.