Water scarcity in
Pakistan
Raheel Hassan - March 26, 2018
Pakistan has been
facing a magnitude of problems since its inception. There is an immediate need
to work towards those problems in various sectors. Pakistan has a very fragile
condition; it lacks a proper plan for its political, economical, foreign,
health and environmental fronts, except the defense and strategic. The culture
of proper policy making does not find anywhere else. Nations progress to pursue
their priorities and policy planning.
There are hundreds of
thousands of articles being written on the political and economical conditions
today. We will take a look at the feeble environmental condition which required
a comprehensive policy making. We have just neglected the grim environmental
changes that have occurred in the recent past. Rivers and dams are running
short of water..
Pakistan could face
severe drought by 2025, this estimation is not new, the Pakistan council of
research in water resources (PCRWR) and metrology department have warned
several times before. Rainfall has steadily declined due to climate change
therefore the groundwater level is decreasing gradually. If groundwater
depletion continues at its current rate, the country is surely headed for
widespread water poverty in next few years.
People should also
manage the consumption of water in their individual capacity. This is a major
task all of us need to accomplish together responsibly so as to avoid
water-related problems. Government should focus on “greener” policies to
improve the situation of water and climate change.
The rapidly excelling
population and urbanization are key players behind this snag. Karachi and
Lahore have been facing water shortage since the last two decades, and the
residents are being exploited by the tanker mafia. Islamabad, recently, has
been thrown in the ring against the water tank mafia as well. The two dams,
“Rawal and Simly”, have scarce levels of water due to which ground water in
Islamabad is also diminishing and the residents suffering.
It seems the
government lacks a proper policy to accommodate people with water. Due to the
lack of political will, Pakistan has not made new dams since 1960s and this is
also a violation of Indus water treaty. The treaty was signed in 1960s is about
the possession of water of the western and eastern rivers between Pakistan and
India. The conflict emerged when India built the Kishenganga and Ratle
hydro-electric power plants within the framework of Indus Water Treaty.
However, the dispute
is yet to be resolved through arbitration of the World Bank, which is a
signatory to the water sharing treaty between the two adversaries. Water crisis
is not just confined to Pakistan; it is becoming a global issue. According to
report published annually by the International Institute of Strategic Studies
in London, The next big wars might be fought over water; clashes are still or
could soon occur over access to water. The UN World Water Develop¬ment Report
2018 calculated that an estimate of 3.6 billion people, nearly half of the
global population, live in areas where water levels are decreasing.
And this number could
rise to 5.7 billion by 2050. The countries currently facing with extreme water
scarcity are Yemen, Libya, Jordan, Djibouti, Cape Town and some other African
countries. According to ISRA (Indus river system authority), due to the less
capacity of water storage, Pakistan wastes 30 million acre-feet water worth
$21bn annually in the sea. Storage capacity of this country is just 15.75
million acre feet, which is equivalent to 30 days of consumption. Glaciers are
also affected by the climate change, dams are necessary to be built to conserve
the amount of water that goes to sea.
It lacks a proper plan
for its political, economical, foreign, health and environmental fronts, except
the defense and strategic. The culture of proper policy making does not find
anywhere else. Nations progress to pursue their priorities and policy planning.
The current daunting
condition can lead a severe drought and the impact could be worse for an
agricultural country like Pakistan. It is in need of a large amount of water
supply for agricultural production; approximately seventy percent of the
world’s usable water is consumed in agriculture.
In Pakistan,
particularly, small farmers use sewage water for cultivation of vegetables
which is causing a number of diseases and deaths. Water contamination is also a
serious problem, those areas which have easily availability have contaminated
water. Due to rapid industrialization, drinking water quality is deteriorating
day by day. According to a report the water of world’s leading brands of
bottled mineral water are contaminated.
Government has nothing
to do with this issue even the issue is not a part of any political party’s
manifesto except Imran Khan, his promises regarding the cleaning of rivers and
building dams yet to be fulfilled Any delay in reforms would thrive the severe
challenges because water needs are expected to rise significantly due to
the rapid population growth, economic development and changing consumption
patterns.
People should also
manage the consumption of water in their individual capacity. This is a major
task all of us need to accomplish together responsibly so as to avoid
water-related problems. Government should focus on “greener” policies to
improve the situation of water and climate change.
Raheel Hassan studies
journalism at National University of Modern Languages (NUML),
Islamabad. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do
not necessarily reflect Global Village Space’s editorial policy.
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