Hanna Lake near Quetta is one of the main attraction points in the provincial metropolis. Constructed in 1894, the lake faces the danger of drying up because of a combination of environmental degradation and bureaucratic apathy. At present, the water level in the lake is no more than three feet high. The lake had gone dry in 1999 and it was not until 2005 that people saw water in the lake again.
This low water level is because the main waterway for the lake constructed by the British has eroded in many places. The result is that water from melting snow and rain is not winding down into the lake. Spin Karez, an earthen dam, was constructed by the British to store snow and rainwater coming from Murdar Ghar – a 10,365 ft/3,159 meter mountain peak near Quetta – to fill Surrpull, the main source of water storage for the lake. This Karez was destroyed in the 1976 floods and has not been reconstructed yet. If the Hanna Lake Development Authority fails to take timely action, the lake will soon be without water. And no one knows how long this dryness will prevail.
Muhammad Hayat
Kech