A review of coal and water resources of Pakistan

Pakistan represents Pre-Cambrian to recent strata with different tectonometallic and sedimentary basins. Pakistan has large reserves of coal but the deposits need to be exploited for provincial and national development. Coal resources and their discoveries are necessary in order to meet increasing demands. Share of coal in energy sector of Pakistan has increased from 6.5% (2003-04) to 7.6% (2008-09) and but later fell back to 6.7% (2010-11). Considering growing energy needs, this figure should have been more than its predecessor. Balochistan province tops coal production with a 58% share. Pakistan is ranked 7th internationally regarding lignitic coal reserves but, unluckily, Pakistan steel industry has imported from 2.84mt to 4.27mt coal per year between 2006 and 2011. This expenditure can be saved and spent on research and technology development. Furthermore, thermal power plants should be installed to use indigenous coal reserves to increase electrical power supply, keeping in view the population increase. Developments for coal resources are necessary due to increasing energy demand in Pakistan, whereas in Pakistan, many coal fields remain under-developed. To develop these coalfields, it is necessary to create the technology to use the mixed lignitic, sub-bituminous and bituminous coal because majority of the reserves are lignitic in Pakistan. The Thar coal deposit of Sindh is lignitic and available in grand quantity. Its development should be started on trial basis initially as vertical shaft mining method. Alternatively, open pit mining could be opted for but ground water may cause trouble in this regard. Pakistan has mountainous areas to store rain water and plain areas for irrigation but most of surface water is being wasted as flood. The construction of major dams has mostly been hampered for a variety of reasons. As population increases, construction of smaller dams in all provinces, districts and even tehsil levels proportionally increases. Furthermore, at the mouth of main stream/nalas/rud streaming from mountains, radial tributaries may be constructed in Daman/barren lands to provide water for cultivation. Water resources wasting as flood begs for construction of small dams especially in Kohat and Pothwar (upper Indus); Sulaiman (middle Indus) and Kirthar (lower Indus) basins and Balochistan basin of Pakistan which holds its vast plain areas. The main purposes and goals of the present study are to present handy and brief information based on previous and recent wide spread work and also recent discoveries. Furthermore, water resources and their dam constructions are also vital for the development of Pakistan due to increasing population. Due to these reasons, here coal and water resources are briefly being discussed.