BAHAWALPUR, Mar 03 (APP):Deputy Commissioner Syed Hassan Raza on Tuesday chaired a meeting to review precautionary and administrative measures in view of the possible drought and water shortage in the Cholistan Desert.
Officials of relevant departments attended the meeting and briefed the deputy commissioner on arrangements for water supply, storage facilities and emergency response planning in the desert region.
The meeting was informed that four special pipelines are currently supplying water to different parts of Cholistan to address scarcity concerns. According to the briefing, the pipeline from Khatri Dahar to Tofana is providing water to 150 people and 3,600 livestock. The second pipeline, laid from Kadwala to Bano Post, is meeting the needs of 200 residents and 8,000 livestock.
Similarly, the third pipeline from 108 DB Bajnout to Khallari is supplying water to 2,700 people and 25,000 livestock, while the fourth pipeline from 111 DNB to Nawan Kot is serving 4,320 people and 36,000 livestock. Participants were told that Cholistan has a total of 1,150 large and small natural ponds, locally known as tobas, of which around 400 currently contain partial water. In addition, the Cholistan Development Authority manages 90 water reservoirs known locally as kunds, while 50 more kunds constructed by local residents are also contributing to water storage.
To ensure continued water supply in remote areas, four water tankers are operational, and the procurement of eight additional four-wheel-drive water tankers is in progress to strengthen emergency response capacity. The Deputy Commissioner was informed that vulnerable locations have been identified and contingency planning has been completed. In case the situation worsens, arrangements have been made to shift affected populations to safer locations.
Syed Hassan Raza directed all concerned departments to improve coordination and ensure uninterrupted water supply to both residents and livestock, warning that negligence in this regard would not be tolerated. He said the district administration would utilize all available resources to provide maximum relief to the people of Cholistan.