Imminent threat:‘Water availability at critical levels’

Water scarcity is posing a threat to life and agriculture: GCUF VC

FAISALABAD: Pakistan is slipping below the water scarcity level with per capita availability of only 1,000 cubic metres of water against 5,000 cubic metres in 1947, posing a threat to life and agriculture, said Government College University Faisalabad (GCUF) Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zakir Hussain. He was addressing the concluding session of a two-day workshop titled ‘Water Pollution and its mitigation’ under a project titled INSPIRE being run by the GCUF and the Newcastle University, UK. Hussain said that country is losing water equivalent to five Tarbela dams by dumping it back to sea. It is need of hour to build new dams to improve the water situation. Talking about pollution of water issue, he urged stakeholders to build a comprehensive strategy in a bid to put an end to water pollution. He said untreated waste water, industrial effluent and agricultural run-off is poisoning our water and people, she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2012.