Assessment of Natural Springs across Different Agro-Ecologies of Balochistan, Pakistan, for Sustainable Management

A B S T R A C TRapid growth in urban developments and climate change has put high pressure on the existing water resources in the arid region of South Asia. It is necessary to identify effective water management and adaptation strategies to minimize risks of a changing environment. The current study focuses on examining the potential of spring resource and significant factors in various ecologies of Balochistan, Pakistan. The findings of the study revealed a total of 10180 springs in the province, which exist in variable concentrations in different physiographic and rainfall regimes. The majority of springs, about 39.1%, were identified in the low mountains, 28.6% in the middle mountains, and 22.3% in the Siwaliks. The density was found to be high, i.e., about 0.11 springs/km² in the middle mountains, 0.08 springs/km² in the high mountains, and 0.04 springs/km² in the low mountains. The spring density was observed to be high, i.e., about 0.06 springs/km², in the >400 mm and 200-300 mm rainfall regimes, while it was noticed to be least, i.e., about 0.01 springs/km², in the <100 mm regime. The diversity in climate and physiography observed in different ecologies demands site-specific resource management and adaptations to climate change. An integrated water management approach adopting a suitable set of available technologies (rainwater harvesting, high-efficiency irrigation systems, and surface storage) could be beneficial to sustain agriculture in different water-stressed ecologies of the province