Water Is One Of The Nature Most
Important Gifts From Allah. Essential To Life, A Person’s Survival Depends On
Drinking Water. Water Is One Of The Most Essential Elements To Good Health.
Water Covers More Than 70% Of The Earth. Only 1%Of The Earth’s Water Is
Available As A Source Of Drinking. Yet Our Society Continues To Contaminate This
Precious Resource.
A Recent Study Has Pointed Out That 30,000 People Die Each Year In Karachi Alone
From The Use Of Unsafe Water. The Cumulative Number Of Deaths Caused By Diarrhea
And Other Water-Borne Diseases Across Rural Areas And Shanty Towns Throughout
The Country Is Certainly Much Higher. Pakistan Is Being Threatened By A Serious
Water Crisis. If Managed Poorly, The Current Water Scarcity Could Translate Into
A Major Catastrophe In Just A Few Decades. Our National Reliance On A Single
River Basin, The Threat Of Climate Change, Water Wastages And The Lack Of
Coherent Conservation Policies Are All Factors That Are Said To Contribute To
The Problem. As Pakistan’s Population Increases, So Does The Demand For Water
Use In Agriculture, Within Households And In Manufacturing Processes.
The Washington-Based Think-Tank, The Woodrow Wilson Centre, Has Pointed Out That
Pakistan Already Has Amongst The Lowest Amount Of Water Availability Per Person
In The World. This Situation Is Feared To Become Worse In The Near Future. If
Pakistan Continues To Rely On The Inefficient Flood System Of Irrigation, And
The Current Rate Of Climate Change Continues As Is Being Currently Projected, It
Is Estimated That By 2050 Pakistan Will Feed Nearly 30 Million Less People Than
It Can Today. And This Is Just An Estimation Concerning Food Production, Not To
Speak About What Would Happen To The Availability Of Water For Other Basic Needs
Of The Growing Populace, Such As Drinking Or Sanitation. Pakistan’s Indus River
Basin Is Supplied By Melting Snow And Glaciers From The Himalayas. India Also
Makes Use Of The Indus River Under A 1960 Water Treaty. But This Treaty Is Under
Much Strain Due To A Number Of Intrusive Dams Being Built By India To Contend
With Its Own Increasing Water Demands. When The Indus Begins To Lose Large
Amounts Of Its Flow Due To Ongoing Increased Melting Of The Himalayan Glaciers,
These Growing Tensions May Become Untenable.
Amidst Fears That Water Scarcity In Pakistan Could Lead To Mass Starvation, And
Possibly War With India, A US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue Water Working Group
Has Been Set Up To Encourage Pakistan To Use Its Existing Water Resources More
Efficiently. The Thrust Of These Efforts Seems To Focus On Modernizing
Pakistan’s Agricultural System. The World Bank Has Recently Allocated Loan Funds
Of $ 146 Million For The Second Phase Of The Pakistan Barrages Improvement
Project To Rehabilitate And Modernize The Jinnah Barrage, And To Improve
Irrigation And Water Management In The Agricultural Sector. There Is An Urgent
Need For More Efficiency In Irrigation Given That Over 90 Percent Of Pakistan’s
Water Is Used For Agriculture. This Water Allocation For Agriculture Is Very
High In Fact, Given That The Average Proportion Of Water Diverted To Agriculture
In Other Developing Countries Is Between 70 To 75 Percent. This Percentage Could
Be Lowered If Irrigational Management Becomes More Efficient, Since No More Than
40 Percent Of The Irrigation Water Is Currently Reaching Crops.
Over The Last Three Decades, Pakistan Has Tried Several Direct And Indirect
Means To Ensure Groundwater Management, But Their Success Has Been Limited.
There Is An Urgent Need To Develop A More Comprehensive Framework Suited
Specifically To Pakistani Needs, Which Includes Focus On Appropriate Water Use
And Conservation Technologies, As Well As The Revision Of Existing Cropping
Patterns To Improve The Efficiency Of Water Use Within Agriculture. There Is Not
Much Evidence Of These Required Measures However. Instead, The Government Is
Thinking Of Allowing Agribusiness Companies From Other Countries To Lease
Agricultural Land In Pakistan To Grow Crops By Tapping Into Deep Underground
Water Aquifers. If These Underground Aquifers Are Deleted Due To A Lack Of
Adequate Oversight, The Consequences For Local Farmers And Communities Will Be
Devastating, The Negative Implications Of Which Will Far Outstrip The Short-Term
Benefits Of Injecting More Money Into The National Coffers. On The Other Hand,
Only A Minuscule Proportion Of Water Available Is Being Used For Drinking Water
And Sanitation Purposes. This Is Despite The Fact That More Than 55 Million
Pakistanis Are Estimated To Lack Access To Clean Water. A Recent Study Has
Pointed Out That 30,000 People Die Each Year In Karachi Alone From The Use Of
Unsafe Water. The Cumulative Number Of Deaths Caused By Diarrhea And Other
Water-Borne Diseases Across Rural Areas And Shanty Towns Throughout The Country
Is Certainly Much Higher. A Significant Majority Of Poor People Do Not Have
Access To Running Water For Toilets, And Many Of Them Have No Choice But To
Defecate Outdoors. Moreover, The Mixing Of Sewage And Drinking Water Lines Has
Repeatedly Posed Health Hazards In Major Cities In Several Parts Of The Country.
Donors Are Suggesting That Pakistan Must Look At Ways To Charge More For Water
As A Method Of Encouraging Conservation. It Is However Feared That Such Measures
Will Likely Be Unpopular. While Politicians May Say That Poor Farmers Will Be
Adversely Affected By Water Charges, The Real Reason For Their Resistance Would
Be To Safeguard The Interests Of Landlords Who Presently Have To Pay Next To
Nothing To Use All The Water That They Need.
The Details Of Water Charging Do, However, Have To Be Worked Out Very Carefully
To Ensure That Poorer Farmers And Sharecroppers Are Spared The Brunt Of Any
Additional Costs. The Government Should Urgently Pass A Series Of Laws To
Priorities Water Allocation. Such Policies Should Ensure That Drinking Water And
Sanitation Are Available. Efficient Use Of Irrigation And Groundwater Is Also
Vital To Prevent Water Wastage And To Decrease The Proportion Of Water Being
Diverted To Agriculture. Water Use In Agriculture Itself Must Be Primarily Given
To Crops That Are To Provide National Food Security.
The Problems Faced By The Water Sector In The Country Are Many, Acute And
Serious And It Is Known That We Can Generate About 83 Maf Of More Water.
Therefore, Building Of More Reservoirs And An Effective Management Strategy Are
The Needs Of Time. Also Implementation Of The Recommendation Will Enable The
Country To Meet The Challenges, And Achieve The Objectives Of Integrated,
Efficient, Environmentally And Financially Sustainable Development And
Management Of Limited Water Resources. At The Same Time It Will Enable Us To
Utilize Every Drop Of Our Water For Our Bring Future.