Pakistan is a developing
country and gets its water supply through underground water reserves, Himalayan
glaciers and via monsoon rainfall. However, due to lack of water storage
capability and unsustainable groundwater utilisation at the user’s end, we are
running out of our available water reserves. The per person water availability
in Pakistan was 5,100 cubic metres in 1951 which dropped down to 1,100 cubic
metres at present and is further expected to decrease to 700 cubic metres by the
year 2025, a state which is referred to as ‘physical water scarcity’. It is of
utmost importance and for our mutual benefit that steps should be taken on
immediate basis to conserve water.
The most effective counter strategy against the decreasing water table will be
to establish a network of small hydro-dams all over Pakistan, specifically in
Sindh. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) statistics,
during 2011, Pakistan received 72 per cent more monsoon rainfall than average,
while in Sindh the monsoon rainfall reached a record high of 247 per cent above
normal monsoon pouring. This strategy will not only enable Pakistan to meet the
future water scarcity challenge but will also enhance the hydroelectricity
generation capacity of the country.
It is in the best interest of Pakistan to start the construction of Kalabagh dam
on immediate basis as it is vital for us. Not to mention the fact that its
feasibility report has been prepared and much of the preliminary work had been
carried out long before. All political parties either in government or in
opposition need to play their required role for the mutual benefit of Pakistan
and its people. These projects will create thousands of jobs in the construction
sector and thus will provide a boom for our deteriorating economy. That it will
save billions of dollars invested in the re-establishment of infrastructural
loss caused by floods will be the hidden benefits of these projects.
We need to understand the urgency of the situation as time is running out and a
lot needs to be done in this regard. An equal responsibility lies on all of us
at individual level to conserve as much water as we can. For example, while
brushing our teeth we generally leave our taps on releasing three gallons of
water per minute. So brushing twice a day for three minutes each will result in
18 gallons of water wastage per person per day that means 6,570 gallons of water
wastage per person per year. Similarly, we can keep our taps turned off during
dish washing intervals, car washing and laundry. Also, we can minimise water
wastage by reducing the time for shower each day. Most importantly, every
household should keep an eye for any leakage in water pipes and fix them
immediately. As per the Karachi Water & Sewage Board website, the city losses 35
per cent of its total water supply due to leakages in pipes. These steps do not
look so significant on paper but in the long run they can and will make a real
difference.
All in all, water conservation is our moral and ethical responsibility as when
we waste water we deprive others of their right to use that water for fulfilling
their basic necessities. So the next time think before wasting water.