Soon Valley's lakes shrink amid silent water crisis

Unregulated solar pumps are rapidly draining groundwater

KHUSHAB:

Soon Valley Sakesar, once celebrated for its deep blue lakes, lush hills, and mineral springs, is facing a silent environmental disaster that threatens to strip the region of its natural beauty.

What appears to be a landscape dotted with thousands of solar panels, symbols of progress and self-reliance, has turned into an unfolding ecological emergency, as unregulated solar-powered water pumping rapidly depletes the valley's underground water reserves.

In recent years, widespread electricity shortages and rising diesel prices have pushed farmers to replace traditional water pumps with solar-powered submersible systems.

These solar pumps run throughout the day at zero operational cost, encouraging farmers to extract groundwater without restriction.

This cost-free, unlimited pumping has dramatically altered farming practices and triggered large-scale water wastage.

According to local elders and experts, the water table in various parts of Soon Valley has dropped between 50 and 100 feet.

Several long-standing wells and natural springs have already dried up, an alarming sign of the valley's declining aquifer.

The perception of "free water" has worsened the crisis. Previously, farmers regulated water use due to fuel and electricity expenses.

Now, solar pumps run continuously, often for hours beyond the actual requirement.

Social activist Mian Tanveer told Express that this excessive availability of water has diverted farmers from traditional, low-water crops toward water-intensive vegetables and fodder.

He said that in many fields, water continues to flow even when it is no longer needed, either flooding the land or seeping away as waste. He warned that Soon Valley's underground reservoir is a restricted and finite resource.

"The water we are extracting is far greater than what rainfall can replenish. We are consuming our capital, not the interest. Each pump is effectively digging a new 'underground death well'."

This unchecked depletion is now visibly affecting lakes Uchali, Khabeki and Jahlar, water bodies that depend heavily on underground springs.

Shrinking lake surfaces are threatening local ecosystems and the survival of several rare and migratory bird species.