Ground water level in Pakistan's Balochistan drops to alarming levels

Amid the ongoing water crisis in Pakistan, Balochistan Governor Amanullah Khan Yasinzai pointed out that that the ground water level in Balochistan has dropped to alarming levels, especially in the provincial capital Quetta.

The governor made these remarks during a meeting with Rebekah Bell, Representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Pakistan at the Governor's House, Quetta on Thursday.

"It is time for us to take immediate and timely steps at the national and international levels to protect the natural environment, otherwise environmental pollution could pose many threats to the future of all mankind," The Express Tribune quoted Yasinzai as saying.

Yasinzai said that the economy of Balochistan is more than fifty per cent dependent on agriculture and livestock and the lack of rainfall and famine have adversely affected the socio-economic condition and other sources of the economy, leading to an increase in overall poverty.

The Governor added that only financial support and guidance from international organisations can help us in tackling global challenges like global warming, modernizing the agriculture and livestock sectors in the province and enhancing the capacity of the workforce, The Express Tribune reported.

According to a Washington-based magazine, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has placed Pakistan at the third position in the list of countries facing acute water scarcity.

Moreover, the per capita availability of fresh water in Pakistan has fallen below the water scarcity threshold (1,000 cubic meters), which was 3,950 cubic meters in 1961 and 1600 in 1991.

( With inputs from ANI )

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