Drought Cont’d

Inhabitants of Balochistan have long depended on traditional agriculture practices, which can no longer sustain their livelihoods in the face of changing climatic conditions and natural disasters. Working alongside experts, Islamic Relief has developed drip irrigation systems with the goal of using the minimum amount of water for maximum impact. This is a strategy often employed in drought areas where water tables are low. The purpose is to conserve water whilst providing innovative solutions to farming in waterscarce regions.

Quetta is the third-worst drought-affected area in Balochistan. Here, Islamic Relief’s drip irrigation system is using water from 700 feet below ground. The water that is stored in the tank flows through a pipe to a fertilizer tank and from there it pipes the water to the plant roots. This is an extremely calculated system, as the pipes have very small holes where each plant root is located so that water is able to “drip” out slowly from the hole to the plant root; each hole on the pipe matches the exact spot of each seed. Through these drip irrigation systems,

Balochi farmers are able to cultivate tomatoes, cucumbers, lentils and okra. As one farmer remarked,