HANNA lake is located 14km from Quetta city in Balochistan where Urak valley begins. It was constructed by the British in 1894, and is one of the main attractions of the city. There is a lakeside restaurant with picnic tables shaded by pine trees.
A small dam, Surrpull (Red Bridge), was built in 1894 on main Urak Road to divert water coming in streams owing to melting snow and rains to the Hanna Lake. This flow is from the Zarghoon mountain range.
There is another water channel which was constructed at the same time to channel the snow and rain water near Spin Kaarez coming from Murdar mount to Surrpull for this lake.
This channel was destroyed by the heavy floods in 1976 and never reconstructed. As a result all the snow and rainwater goes to waste. This channel also needs urgent repair.
In recent days the water level has dropped to three feet, owing to which the fish in the lake are in danger of perishing.
The Hanna Lake Development Authority (HLDA) and the Balochistan government should take immediate action to address the problem.
