Drought circumstances in Pakistan might worsen, warns Met dept
Image Source : AP Drought circumstances in Pakistan might worsen, warns Met dept
The National Drought Monitoring Centre, a part of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), has warned that drought-like circumstances at the moment prevailing in elements of Sindh and Balochistan might exacerbate and trigger water stress in cultivated lands attributable to restricted provide of irrigation water for Rabi crops.
According to an advisory issued by the centre on Thursday, the scenario has emerged attributable to total beneath than common rainfall within the nation from October 2020 to January 2021. “The main thrust was in Balochistan (-73.2 per cent) and Sindh (-70.2 per cent),” it mentioned.
According to the advisory, a lot of the central and southern districts of Balochistan are experiencing delicate to average drought. These districts embody Chagai, Gwadar, Harnai, Kech, Kharan, Mastung, Nushki, Pishin, Panjgur, Kalat, Quetta and Washuk, the Dawn reported on Saturday.
“Keeping in view the climatology and current seasonal forecast of PMD for these areas, drought conditions may exacerbate and affect agriculture and livestock. Dry conditions will cause water stress in the cultivated lands/areas of the country due to limited supply of irrigation water for Rabi crops,” the advisory mentioned.
Most districts within the west to south-west Balochistan are winter rainfall dominant and rainfall quantities lie between 71mm and 231mm, it added.
In Sindh, drought circumstances are prevailing within the south-eastern elements of the province.
“Though it’s not an alarming situation, the advisory is for stakeholders related to water management and agriculture. This would help them prepare, plan and take preemptive measures, particularly in disaster-prone areas, in case the situation aggravates,” mentioned Sardar Sarfaraz, representing the Met division.
Explaining the prevalent drought circumstances, he mentioned Balochistan’s climate sample presented that it obtained 60 to 70 per cent of its annual rainfall in winters, whereas Sindh remained dry from October to May. “Since, the dry spell this winter has led to mild to moderate drought conditions in most parts of Balochistan, the situation may go worse as the province normally doesn’t receive good rains in the monsoon season,” he mentioned.
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