A few years ago a major drought hit the southern areas of Pakistan. It lasted for five years, from 1998 to 2002. It has been recognized as one of the worst droughts in the history of Pakistan. The drought had significant negative impacts, in particular upon agriculture in Sindh and Baluchistan. The hardships caused by the drought compelled people to migrate, in particular due to the scarcity of water, both for drinking and for the purposes of irrigation. Pakistan’s economy is heavily dependent upon agriculture. Therefore, this dry spell had a significant impact upon areas where the population depended upon rain for their agricultural needs. It was heart-breaking to witness the mass of people forced to abandon their homes in search of water.
The Human Development Foundation (HDF) rose to this challenge and offered its services to help the affected population. Employing its customary approach to involve the beneficiaries in creating solutions to their own problems, HDF designed a strategy to relieve the drought-stricken areas. The approach was to include building Delay Action Dams.
By 2001, construction was complete on the Shahabzai Dam, which benefitted the 7,000 people residing in its vicinity. The total cost of this project was Rs. 2,797,007; of which, Rs. 225,600 was borne by the beneficiary community, and Rs. 320,000 was contributed by the Government of Baluchistan. The remaining Rs. 2,251,407 was spent by HDF.
The storage capacity of the Shahabzai Dam is 30 million gallons. Accumulation of water through the use of this dam raised the water table in the area, which allowed a number of Karezes and wells to be discharged. In addition, the locals installed a number of hand-pumps. These resulted in an increase in the number of orchards in the area and even the livestock business began to flourish. Most families saw an increase in their monthly income. Due to the construction of this dam, all households in the area are now able to enjoy ready access to water throughout the year.
In the wake of this success, HDF initiated a similar project – the building of a delay-action dam near village Mroofzai. Only, for this project HDF partnered with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), in addition to the beneficiary community. For this project the total cost was Rs. 2,357,010 for which Rs. 1,560,000 was contributed by PPAF and Rs. 447,680 was borne by the community. HDF bore the remaining expenses of Rs. 349,330.
Again, this project proved to be a lifeline for the community which is totally dependent upon Karezes for its irrigation needs. With its storage capacity of 26.5 million gallons, the delay-action dam is benefitting 500 households. The construction of this dam was completed in 2003 and, since then, the local population has seen a tremendous growth in irrigation and has dependable access to drinking water.
HDF’s intervention in these areas has completely transformed lives and created tremendous opportunities for the underprivileged to improve their own lives. Please provide your support and allow HDF to continue transforming lives throughout Pakistan.