QUANTITATIVE GROUNDWATER ASSESSMENT OF PASHIN, BALOCHISTAN FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT

Groundwater is the key source of water for survival in the Pishin, Balochistan area, which is decreasing with rapid urbanization Karezes, however, are considered as the major sources of irrigation and drinking water from many decades, but rapidly growing installation of tubewells in Baluchistan is adversely affecting functioning of the karezes. The present study was conducted on groundwater pumpage to overcome the situation of scarcity in the context of ground water by measuring water table fluctuation rates and water discharge in Pishin district of Baluchistan, Pakistan. For this purpose data from WASA was incorporated to find out the fluctuation rate of water table over the period from 2005 to 2016 using GIS based Inverse Distance Weight (IDW) technique for making Water Level maps. The study shows a decline in all four Tehsils of Pishin district and the condition was worst at Huramzai tehsil as groundwater was depleting here rapidly. The main reason for this decline in the groundwater table was Tubewell pumping from groundwater resources which got exceeded than the natural recharge. Moreover, the rapid increase in urbanization decreased the infiltration rate in the recent years. According to 2017 census, total population of district Pishin was 736,481 with 51.48% male and 48.52% female in comparison to 376,728 in 1998 (MIC 2017). Based on the results the water table got fluctuated approx. 25 to 30 ft in past decades Minimum and maximum water depth for 2007 were recorded 67.00 ft and 1 214.98 ft respectively. In 2013 Minimum and maximum water level were recorded 80.00 ft and 266.98 ft respectively and water level further declined 2014. The decline continued up to 300 ft in 2015. The most affected areas in Pishin district are Pishin city tehsil and Huramzai tehsil. It is recommended that the government should strictly implement well laws in the area in order to avoid excessive pumping which is lethal stigma in the area.