KEY POINTS
- Skardu residents face worsening water scarcity, walking miles daily for potable water.
- Women and children queue with pots, often returning empty-handed, exhausted.
- Local agriculture suffers: potato, wheat yields drop by nearly 20 per cent.
- Scarcity affects apricot and apple orchards, undermining livelihoods and food security.
- Project site in Deosai Plateau challenges workers with extreme harsh weather.
- Community initiative shows resilience, offering sustainable solution to Skardu’s water crisis.
SKARDU, Pakistan: Octogenarian Ghulam Rasool still remembers the sound of rushing streams outside his childhood home in the snow-laden Skardu Valley.
“When I was young, water was never a problem,” he recalls. “Streams flowed freely, and every house had enough water.”
Today, he watches with sorrow as children—sometimes his great-grandchildren’s age—trudge along the dusty lanes of Skardu, clutching empty cans and steel pots, hoping to fill them from a faraway spring.
Queuing for every drop
In the heart of this Himalayan valley, scenes of women and children queuing for water have become part of daily life. Their journeys often stretch two to three kilometres, which sometimes ends in disappointment when taps run dry or springs trickle faintly.
Inside the houses, pipes groan but yield nothing. Outside, orchards wither, fields stand barren, and fear hangs heavy over a community that once thrived on abundance.
Over the past seven years, water scarcity has reduced per-acre yields of potatoes and wheat by about 15-20 per cent.” – Sajid Hussain, Agriculture Officer
This is not just a shortage—it is a question of survival. Skardu, surrounded by mighty glaciers and rivers that nourish much of Pakistan, has become a thirsty land. Skardu’s primary water supply comes mainly from streams channelled from glaciers and mountain springs.
Farms losing lifeline
Sajid Hussain, an Agricultural Officer in Skardu, tells WE News English that the district has a total of 28,747 acres of cultivable land, out of which 10,372 acres—representing 38.8 per cent of the total—have already turned barren.
This year alone, around 70 acres of farmland have dried up due to climate change, and around 800 fruit trees have been lost.
The local farmers—who grow wheat, barley, potatoes, apricots, apples, cherries, and grapes—are left helpless as their orchards gradually die.
Over the past seven years, water scarcity has reduced per-acre yields of potatoes and wheat by about 15-20 per cent, says Hussain.
Hope sparks action
In the middle of this hopelessness, one voice rose: “We’ll solve this ourselves.”
Syed Baqir Hussaini, a local cleric, emerged to lead a grassroots movement to ensure the provision of potable water to all and sundry in Skardu city.
“For the last eight to 10 years, water shortage has persisted in Skardu. In 2023, when I saw women and children carrying pots for water, the trees drying, and the fields turning barren, I decided to act. During a Friday sermon, I declared that we would solve this crisis through our own efforts. Pakistan is nourished by our rivers—so why should we remain thirsty?”
During a Friday sermon, I declared that we would solve this crisis through our own efforts. Pakistan is nourished by our rivers—so why should we remain thirsty?” – Syed Baqir Hussaini
His words gave fresh hope. People from Skardu and the Baltistan region—which includes the districts of Skardu, Shigar, Kharmang, Ghanche, and Rondu—rallied behind him. Local engineers volunteered their services.
Within 15 days, a full survey was carried out with only Rs. 13,000. This marked the beginning of a project that today is close to completion under the supervision of the Fialong Project Committee.
It was, nevertheless, never easy.
Engr. Khawaja Shujaat, who has been part of the project since its inception, explains, “I’ve been working voluntarily for three years. It was not easy. The project site in Deosai is 14,000 feet above sea level, where we can work only for two months in a year because of harsh weather. Still, step by step, we moved forward. Today 90 per cent of the work is done, and if the weather supports us, we’ll complete it this year.”
Water for generations
The project is around a 10.4-kilometre water channel to divert water from the Fialong stream to the Satpara Dam.
Designed to carry 120 cusecs of water, it ensures that local wildlife and aquatic life remain undisturbed, while the rest of the water continues to flow in the natural stream. The total cost is estimated at Rs. 260 million.
The project site in Deosai is 14,000 feet above sea level, where we can work only for two months in a year because of harsh weather. Still, step by step we moved forward. Today 90 per cent of the work is done, and if weather supports us, we’ll complete it this year.” – Khwaja Shujaat, a local engineer
According to Project Engineer Khawaja Shujaat, nearly 300,000 people will directly benefit, and around 700 acres of farmland in Skardu will be irrigated.
Chief surveyor at the Gilgit-Baltistan Planning and Works Department, Irshad Ali, says the toughest part was working at such heights.
“We have never worked at this altitude before. For three years, we have continued despite harsh weather and a lack of oxygen. Workers frequently fell. But we all know this project is not for us alone—it is for the future generations. That’s why we are ready to sacrifice.”
Once complete, the project will bring water back to Skardu’s homes, revive agriculture, and lift the burden off the shoulders of women and children who have long struggled for every drop.
This is not only a story about water—it is about unity, sacrifice, and hope. The people of Skardu have shown that when communities stand together, even the hardest challenges can be overcome.
