Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair has said that water was not only essential for human consumption but also played a vital role in growth of economy.

Talking with a three-member delegation of Hisaar Foundation, Governor said that there was an urgent need to create awareness about use of water with care. Farmers should also be guided and trained to use irrigation water according to requirements of soil and avoid it’s over usage or wasting same, he opined.

He said that we all should join hands to work for improving access to water for poor and landless by maximising water use efficiency, financing urban and rural water economies and water value chain, safe guarding Indus Basin, its aquifers and its infrastructure, improving water governance and management of water institutions, building a base for science, technology and the social aspects of water.

Zubair said that securing future of water, we should act now to develop young people to take over by training them to conserve and manage water. The water sector in Pakistan needs focus and direction which will result in the enhancement of water economy and enable all the provinces and regions of Pakistan to collaborate in the implementation of national plan of action, he observed.

He said that keeping in view demand due to increase in population of Karachi, K-IV has been started and its first phase would be completed this year. Its second phase would be started soon while another scheme for potable water supply has been included in Karachi Development Package, he added.

He said that reversing the trends of water pollution, wasteful water use and consumption, irresponsible mining of groundwater, sea-water intrusion and managing other related problems were of paramount importance. The National Water Policy prepared by Foundation would be very helpful in ensuring effective usage of available water and preserving the same for our next generations, he added.

Government assigns great importance to safe drinking water, sanitation, agriculture, rural and urban development. Cooperation between provincial government, local and municipal bodies is needed to manage water under cohesive and well thought out water strategies and plans, he added.

Delegation members Ashraf Kapadia, Simi Kamal and Zohair Ashir briefed governor about challenges of water sector, their solutions and way forward.

Published in Daily Times, December 5th 2017.