The government needs to build dams, replace the existing muddy water courses with durable plastic pipes
KARACHI: According to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, Pakistan is a highly water-stressed country and is likely to face an acute water shortage in the next five years.
The World Bank, the US Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee and the International Monetary Fund have repeatedly warned the government of Pakistan of regular flash floods and drought in the next 10 to 40 years. They attribute the looming water problems to the fast shrinking Himalayan glaciers, low storage capacity and dearth of planning.
Most water experts agree that the major factors responsible for the continuing and impending water issues in the country include the inadequate and decaying water infrastructure, lack of political consensus on the construction of major dams, financial constraints, global warming and indifference to water conservation throughout the country.
The government needs to build dams, replace the existing muddy water courses with durable plastic pipes, tax canal water and the agriculture sector and take serious note of India building a string of water reservoirs on rivers that provide water to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960.
Ayesha Abdul Nasir
Published in The Express Tribune, June 23rd, 2016.
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