Hanna Lake
Hanna Lake is a lake in Urak Valley near Quetta, in Balochistan Province, in southwestern Pakistan. It is surrounded by mountains.
Geography
Hanna Lake is in the hills close to where the Urak Valley begins, east from Quetta city. The reservoir was constructed in 1894 during the British Colonial era on the land of local Durrani tribesmen, and is one of the main attractions in the city. It forms a great historical bridge wall between two mountains, the depths like battlements of a fort, for the storing of water.Features
Hanna Lake is one of the most visited and accessible lakes in Balochistan. There is a lakeside restaurant with picnic tables shaded by pine trees at the end of the river, where families can enjoy the food and weather. On the eastern side of the lake stands the Hayat Durrani Water Sports Academy, the first and only rowing, canoeing, kayaking and sailing training and championships organising centre in Balochistan Province, with provision of rough swimming facility.History
In 1894, the small action dam Surrpull was constructed on the main Urak road to control flooding, and divert water, coming catastrophically from snow melt and rain down the Zarghoon Ghar and Murddar Mountains Koh-i-Murdaar streams, into Hanna Lake through its main canal.Over a century old in 1894, this lake was spread over an area of 818 acres with a holding capacity of over 220 million gallons of water and a depth of.In 1973 a heavy flood destroyed the Murdar Mountains recharge linked canal on the way to Surrpull, near Spin Kaarrez road, which has not been reconstructed till date.
Presently, in May 2016 a heavy flood filled this small action dam Surrpull with mud and stones. Accordingly, all the streams and flood waters are going waste and there is no chance to regulate water conservancy to Hanna Lake without the restoration, desilting of surrpull and both main canals. On the other hand, the water level in Hanna Lake is falling critically low, hence endangering the natural ecosystem, the local wild life, the environment of the surroundings, and native peoples, along with hundreds of migrated birds and thousands of fish. The future of athletic activities such as rowing and canoeing is also in danger. It is possible that the Hanna Lake might be fully dried, like in 1999 to January 2005, and in 2010.
The environmental scientists, Speleologists and the Conservationists are looking at the future of the lake in its most dangerous condition. The current harmful environmental situation will badly affect the natural eco system, environment, and underground water level of the surroundings. However, the small action dam surpull was locally restored / desilted in February 2019, with the assistance of Hashim Khan Ghalzai, secretary P&D, and Hayatullah Khan Durrani C.E, HDWSA. Since then the flood rain from the Zarghoon mountains has been continuously coming to Hanna Lake, and the water level has risen by up to 50%.