A panel of distinguished experts on water-stressed the need for collaborative national measures to value water across multiple sectors keeping in view the dwindling natural resource.
The experts gathered for a webinar under the banner of International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan on World Water Day, here on Monday.
Moderating the session, Dr Mohsin Hafeez highlighted the role of water in driving diverse sectors like livestock, dairy, energy, and industry.
Dr. Hafeez, who can be termed ‘water advocate’, emphasized how technology can be tapped for conservation of water in Pakistan, the country that is now 5th most vulnerable to climate change.
In his keynote speech, Dr Muhammad Ashraf explained that the value of water hinged on the sector and its purpose where it was being utilized. The expert outlined that only after realizing the actual value of water, measures could be taken for innovation and investment in the sector.
Painting a bleak picture about the productivity of water, Dr. Ashraf said that less than 1 percent of wastewater was treated in Pakistan. The official also highlighted the key areas which were being ignored like the national database for water use pattern. Dr. Ashraf also proposed solutions to the longstanding problem including volumetric water pricing, restricting high delta corps and adaptation of climate-resilient seeds.
Dr Robina Wahaj lamented the lack of credible information and data regarding water usage despite the fact that reporting of water levels in canals was in place. Wahaj, the Senior Land and Water Officer at FAO, stressedthat water allocation was a politically sensitive issue in the country.
‘National Water Policy in 2018 did not account for actual water usage by different sectors’ said the expert and added that non-agriculture sectors were not under the limelight in water efficiency discourse.
The development practitioner regretted that harnessing data for policy implementation was missing in the aquatic framework of Pakistan.
Dr Mohsin Hafeez also brought in Hammad Naqi Khan over the issue of policy options for water conservation to which the expert outlined that Pakistan lacked policy enforcement despite the introduction of the regulatory framework in this regard.
‘Only by implementing national climate change policy, we can address a whole host of problems ranging from water to environmental issues,’ said Hammad Naqi, the Director-General, WWF-Pakistan.
Ms Yasmin Siddiqi also took part in the discussion and explained that ‘Water Development Outlook’ was devised by Asian Development Bank (ADB) taking into account water security through multi-sectoral approaches. The official said New Zealand, Australia and Japan topped the Water Development Outlook and fared better than other countries.
On the issue of climate change linkage with water management, Dr David Potter highlighted that ‘South Asia Water Governance Program’s devised by the United Kingdom for database management.
‘Collaboration is the key to success at different levels of governance,’ said Dr Potter.
Moreover, the executive Director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, dished in on the devastation caused by the Covid-19pandemic and how water occupied the top spot in mitigation strategies.
In his concluding remarks, Dr Mohsin Hafeez stressed the need for conducting water audit in a bid to make the delivery process efficient and transparent.