Water scarcity in Pakistan

According to the International Monetary Fund , Pakistan is ranked third among the countries facing severe water shortage. There are several factors that have contributed to the water crisis in Pakistan, such as an increase in population in urban areas, agriculture, mismanagement of the water system and climate change. If the issue of water crisis in Pakistan is not dealt with, the burden on the people and the economy will worsen.

Pakistan is rated as a water scarce country because the yearly water availability is less than a 1,000 cubic meters per person. The country had crossed this level back in 2005. If it reaches 500 cubic meters, it will become a country that is absolute scarce of water by 2025. The effect of the water crisis in Pakistan is already being felt among people especially those in Karachi. In Pakistan, 80 percent of people living in 24 major cities do not have access to clean water. In the slums of Karachi, 16 million do not have access to running water.

Pakistan receives 145 million acre feet of water every year but can we only manage to save 13.7 million acre feet which is very low and not even 1% of the water that is saved. Pakistan needs 40 million acre feet of water but 29 million acre feet of our floodwater is wasted because we have very few dams. And the people in Pakistan say that the Tarbela dam is one of the biggest dams in Pakistan and there would be no need to create another dam. But not only one of the biggest dams can provide us with the required water that we need for the future and other purposes.

Some reasons for water scarcity in Pakistan are due to the rise in population. Pakistan is the sixth largest country in the world with a population of more than 220 million people. Pakistan’s population in 2010 was 179.42 million. By 2025, it is expected that Pakistan’s water demand could reach 274 million acre feet while the supply of water could remain at 191 million acre feet and we would be facing water scarcity as here would no water available for our use. Another reason is due to climate change. Pakistan gets most of its water from rainfall and rivers as well as snow and glaciers melting. Because the rain is seasonal and 92% of the country is semi arid and that means Pakistan is dependent on the rain for its water supply. One of the reasons that Pakistan will face an increase in water demand could be because of climate change, which could increase the demand for water for crops. Climate change could cause the water in the soil to evaporate faster, which could increase the demand for water.

Water scarcity would affect our posterity and people would be suffering due to thirst and inaccessibility of water. People would then have to pay money for water to the tanker mafia and this would be very expensive and some people would be unable to afford it as water is a very essential need for domestic use. Pakistan’s population in the year 2000 was about 140 million people and in 2025 it is expected to rise up till 260 million. And the most shocking stat is that 9.7 million acres feet of water would be demanded at that time.

Water scarcity would not only affect our people but also our economy. Severe water scarcity is already having a negative impact on the country’s economy. Over 80 percent of water supplied is considered unsafe, and water scarcity and water borne diseases are resulting in a loss of up to 1.44 percent of GDP. A number of standalone initiatives are underway to mitigate this impact and what is needed now is a coordinated national policy on water. Almost 95 percent of Pakistan’s water is used for agriculture, with 60 percent of its population directly involved in agriculture and livestock, and 80 percent of exports based on these sectors. Among the economic implications of water scarcity is the impact on businesses worldwide leading to higher operating costs and staying competitive. For global firms controlling costs is difficult but it worsens when the price of water increases exponentially to where margins shrink precariously. This causes firms to regard water access as a competitive advantage and relocate when possible.

Another key economic impact of water scarcity is the effect on agriculture. While agriculture contributes to water scarcity, it is also highly dependent on this resource. Increases in food prices and lack of water worsen regional conflicts and cause population migration to where water is readily accessible. Water scarcity leads to food shortages while raising commodity prices thereby hindering trade with developing economies and in the long run cause civil unrest. Water scarcity has a direct impact on rain-fed and irrigated agriculture as well as livestock, and an indirect impact on food processing industries and this put a huge burden on our economy.

In order to solve this issue, the government needs to take certain steps to slow down the water crisis in Pakistan. Experts have said that the country needs to expand its water storage, reduce its water wastage, improve water productivity and develop a framework that will help with the management of surface and groundwater. Not only these we also need dams, not only big dams but small dams just to save the maximum amount of water for the future generations so that we don’t become scarce of water in 2025.