ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Water Resources has opposed the solarisation of agricultural tubewells in Balochistan, citing the severe depletion of groundwater levels in the province. This stance was presented during a Senate Standing Committee on Water Resources meeting chaired by Senator Shahadat Awan.
Secretary of Water Resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, warned that installing solar panels to power tubewells would exacerbate the already critical water crisis in the region. He stressed that halting further solarisation is the only viable solution, as no engineering remedy can resolve the depleting groundwater issue.
This opposition comes at a time when federal and provincial governments are ready to provide solar panels for Balochistan’s tubewells to reduce debt accumulation, which has exceeded one trillion rupees. However, the ministry insists that further solarisation will only accelerate water extraction, worsening the crisis.
Story by Mushtaq Ghumman
