THE proviincial capitl city of Quetta is water-starved. Subsurface water through tube wells is currently the main source of water, managed by the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED).

Pumping out water is expensive and many of the tube wells in the public sector remain closed. There is a thriving tube well industry in the private sector, but the supply through tankers is expensive.

The surface water available in the shape of Hanna Lake and Spin Karez is under-utilised owing to mismanagement. Mangi Dam, which is designed to provide 8.1 million gallons of water per day, or 100 per cent of the requirement, will be the main source of drinking water once it is commissioned, and nobody quite knows when will that happen.

The supply of water from the dam will remain dependent on power supply to carry the water some 52.7km through a ductile iron pipeline running over a hill that rises 600 metres at its peak.

The PHED advertised for consultants in July this year to design a solar energy system and recover about 30pc energy from the water flow at the terminal point by turbines.

Besides, the pipeline has no external corrosion protection or internal coating. This will cut the life of the ductile iron pipe by 60pc.

Unless the pipe is internally coated or cement-lined as per current standards, the water will be unfit for drinking, and the power requirement will go up by 30pc due to friction.

The draft of the consultant’s report and the current system design should be placed online for examination as solar, hydro-power and wind power manufacturers can give valuable input. This work should not be done in a rush or in a hush-hush manner.

Mirza Nazar
Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2024