Treasures hidden in the ground
Pakistan is the super power of the world in terms of underground water aquifers. Out of 193 countries in the world, only three countries, China, India and USA, have larger aquifers than Pakistan. Treasures hidden in the ground. This aquifer is spread over an area of more than 50 million acres in Punjab and Sindh under the plains of the Indus River and its tributaries. In fact, this aquifer is our last reliable shield in the face of Pakistan's dying rivers and the threat of floods or famine due to climate change, in which we have installed more than a million tube wells and these The number is constantly increasing.
This aquifer is so big that it can contain the water of all the rivers of Pakistan. It will suck up more water than a dozen lakes the size of your Tarbela Dam and it won't matter. Pakistan is currently the third largest country in the world using groundwater for agriculture. More than half of the water in your agriculture (50 million acre feet) is being drawn from this aquifer. The canal system of the Indus River used to take one crop in a year, today we are taking three crops.
This aquifer has begun to recede due to the pressure of population drawing immense amounts of water from tube wells for agricultural and industrial purposes. According to the Asian Development Bank, Pakistan is withdrawing about 500 cubic metres of water per capita from the ground, which is the highest in all of Asia. Over this aquifer, up to 100 million acre feet of water falls in Sindh and Punjab region in just three months of monsoon. This aquifer has been naturally recharging for thousands of years, but we have minimised the natural way water seeps into the ground by building concrete houses and asphalt roads.
Rainwater is the cleanest water, but instead of being recharged, it immediately turns into sewage water through roads, sewer lines and drains, which not only deteriorates its quality, but also becomes floodwater. Flash flooding damages the infrastructure of cities and villages. However, if arrangements are made to collect this water and recharge the underground water, not only urban flooding and flash flooding can be controlled, but also a lot of water can be stored without building large dams.
Therefore, immediate emphasis should be placed on constructing recharge wells, canoe grounds, recharge trenches, ponds, johars in populated areas, while rubber dams and underground dams should be constructed in canals and rivers to divert rain and flood water during monsoons. Recharge underground. Treasures hidden in the ground For this purpose, the year-round dry parts of the Ravi and Sutlej rivers, the entire course of the old Beas river and the lower reaches of the canals and doabs are very suitable places.
What would be the benefits of storing water in this way?
1- Lakes of large dams gradually fill up with silt and silt as water filters into the underground aquifer, so they are permanent.
2- Water cannot evaporate from the aquifer.
3- No population or facilities will have to be relocated as in other water projects.
4- This water can be extracted when and where needed
5- The water quality will also be better than standing water in the lake.
Our industries use 100% of water underground and then these people after using the water release it without treatment back into the ground or drains to pollute the water. It would be a good start if the industries themselves are mandated to build water recharging facilities equal to the amount of water pumped, which can then be followed up at the municipal and district level.
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