Daily Times

Water is the driver of nature and is the soul of a country’s economy. The world will become colourless without this priceless gift of nature. However, the contemporary world is witnessing water becoming increasingly scarce. This poses a daunting threat to the life and livelihoods of humans around the globe. Pakistan is also among those vulnerable states which fall in the bracket of the water crisis.

The water crisis is emerging as one of the drastic challenges for Pakistan nowadays. Pakistan’s water resources are running dry at an alarming rate. Current extreme water shortage warnings have attracted the nation’s attention. The annual water availability that was nearly 1,300 cubic meters per capita, has fallen to 1000 cubic meters leaving Pakistan to the category of highly water stressed-nation in the globe.

The matter of serious concern is that IMF has also placed Pakistan on the third position in the context of looming water crisis. In addition, the study suggests that currently, Pakistan is a water-stressed country but if immediate measures are not undertaken for preserving water, it will turn water-scarce by 2025.

It is very puzzling that the extreme shortage of potable water has made the lives of the people miserable. In major cities of Pakistan underground water is salty, thus not drinkable. Hence, People walk long distances in the search for water in many parts of the country.

Approximately, more than 27 million Pakistanis lack access to potable water and almost 70pc water in the homeland is unfit for human consumption. Therefore, common people are drinking that contaminated water because they have no way out other than consuming harmful water and welcoming hazardous diseases.

According to Hassan Foundation, almost, 250,000 children under the age of five die every year of waterborne disease, costing the economy around $ 1.3 billion. Whereas, four-fifths of all diseases Pakistanis suffer from, such as cholera, diarrhea, typhoid and hepatitis, are caused by contaminated and untreated water.

We are using groundwater at a very high rate and it is estimated that the groundwater level is dropping at one meter per year. This is indeed a bizarre situation. Awareness campaigns should be launched to educate the masses and unnecessary pumping of groundwater should be avoided.

Pakistan’s key agricultural crops including wheat, rice, sugarcane, and cotton contribute less than five percent to the National GDP while consuming more than 80 percent of the country’s water. On top of this, chronic irrigation methods are being used for agriculture that needs to be improved by promoting mechanization which will help in lowering water consumption and increasing modification of cropping patterns through supplemental irrigation.

No doubt, Pakistan has miserably failed in showing a progressive approach towards water management. Besides, since the 1960s, new dams have not been built despite the fact that our dams can store water for 30 days only.  Likewise, burgeoning population, lack of effective water conservation policy, low budget allocation and a dearth of reservoirs, storage of dams and growing demand of water in agricultural and industrial sectors have collectively rendered the water a dwindling resource.

Water is increasingly essential for the sustenance of life. Whereas, Pakistan’s economy is agriculture-based which significantly contributes to Pakistan’s GDP, exports, per capita income and social and economic progress. Almost 21 percent of GDP and 70 percent of exports are created from it like cotton, wheat, rice and so on. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration to say that water is a lifeline for Pakistan and without it, socio-economic advancement cannot be attained.

Even today, the water issue has spawned a myriad of conundrums. These issues range from a debilitating economy to a crumbling democracy. Social polarization, religious extremism and dichotomy are directly or indirectly related to this problem. Needless to say, if Pakistan resolves this issue on an emergency basis; it will pace up our progress and prosperity.

The government should chalk out the best possible plannings for building more water reservoirs and storage dams in the country as they will go a long way towards resolving this pressing problem. Furthermore, there is a dire need to formulate an effective water resource management and conservation agenda, a uniform water distribution policy and an efficient plan for controlling water wastage.

Previous governments have regrettably failed to cope with this issue. Ironically, after the construction of two major dams-Tarbela and Mangla in 1970, Pakistan is unable to construct other dams. But unfortunately, the incumbent-led government also seems to follow suit the previous regimes. Shockingly enough, constant apathy and lackluster is leading the country towards the abyss.

Political instability and a poor approach to gauge the situation has further aggravated the looming water crisis. Developed countries draft long-term policies to overcome the water crisis by managing the water resources skillfully. They build large dams along with small and medium dams. They prioritize constructing large dams to meet their needs.

For instance, the United States has constructed more than 6,000 large dams other than small and medium dams. China has built more than 4,000 large dams. India has constructed more than 400 large dams. Contrary to that, unfortunately, Pakistan has built not more than five large dams other than small and medium dams.

Most astoundingly, the increased silting of dams is among the factors which triggered this water crisis. In a nutshell, our dams are now outdated. They are unable to store an adequate amount of water. Reports suggest that Pakistan’s existing dams will not be able to utilize by the next decade. The reason is rapid silting. Ergo, this adds fuel to fire. Policies should be formulated for constructing larger dams. This should be a long term policy to harness water resources.

Lack of political harmony and preparedness to tackle this issue and reduce wasteful practices is the biggest leadership challenge Pakistan is facing at all levels. It is high time for the higher authorities and central government to wake up in order to tackle this issue effectively. Otherwise unthinkable will become inevitable.

The writer is an alumnus of Dynamic English Language Teaching Academy (DELTA) based in Turbat and keeps a keen interest in writing on social issues