KARACHI:
It is said that the secrets regarding the origin of the universe are hidden within the molecular structure of water. Since modern science has discovered that everything in the cosmos can hypothetically be deconstructed into atoms of hydrogen and oxygen, scientists have concluded that water is the most fundamental element of creation.
The earth is able to able to sustain life because it constitutes 71% water, similar to that of the human body. However, with temperatures at record high and climate change exacerbating every year, the earth seems to be slowly losing its capacity of retaining water, evident from severe drought-like situations across the world. It is because of this that environmentalists have asserted that an extinction event is looming ahead. Without water the Earth will transform into a barren wasteland, unable to cultivate and sustain anything; the world will become a global desert. The situation in Pakistan is equally severe. According to a recent report by IMF, Pakistan ranks third in the world among the countries facing acute shortage of water, while UNDP and PCRWR have warned authorities that Pakistan will reach to absolute water scarcity by 2025. Being an agriculture-based country with nearly 62% of the population dwelling in rural areas, water becomes a lifeline.
The recent monsoon rains were nothing short of a miracle for Pakistan, due to which the Hub Dam in Karachi has accumulated water in its reserves for next two years. It is vital that we consume this water with care and use it primarily for sustainable growth.
Naveed Abbas Maitlo
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, October 8th, 2020.
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