Govt seeks provinces’ support for imposing water tariff

WAPDA insists water issues cannot be settled unless prices are set

ISLAMABAD: The federal government is seeking the support of provinces for levying a water consumption tariff that provinces will pay under the new proposed national water policy. The amount paid will be deposited in a consolidated fund and spent on controlling water losses.

Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Zafar Mahmood stated this while speaking at a seminar on Thursday. “Wapda has made recommendations for setting water prices; water issues cannot be addressed unless the prices are fixed,” Mahmood said.

He pointed out that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had filed a petition with the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) demanding compensation for its allocated water share which was being consumed by other provinces.



“Water pricing will help resolve such issues,” he remarked and stressed that the federal government would have to invest in building water reservoirs.

Water and Power Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said water losses were much bigger compared to losses caused by electricity wastage, theft and lower recoveries.

He was of the view that Pakistan needed to frame two separate water policies - one should resolve international disputes like those with India and the other should focus on settling rows among provinces over water allocation.

Consultations were being held to develop consensus on water issues among the provinces, he said.

“Water is being wasted because of being tax free; there have been wars on water issues and there will be a war on the same subject in future as well.”

Citing the example of Denmark, Asif said its economy had grown 100% in the past 35 years, but electricity consumption stood at the same level as it was more than three decades ago because of energy conservation.

“We need to change our behaviour in terms of energy conservation,” he said, underlining the need for a mass campaign even in schools to promote energy conservation.

Punjab representative Mahmoodul Hassan disclosed that the province had endorsed the proposed water policy and called for constructing more dams in the country.

He emphasised the need for substantial budgetary allocation for building dams and said Kalabagh Dam could be constructed in the light of water accord signed by the provinces and approved by the Council of Common Interests.

Abdul Qadir Palejo, who represented Sindh at the seminar, said the national water policy was the first initiative to develop consensus among provinces on water issues. “We need to take all stakeholders on board.”

Balochistan representative Pervaiz Bukhari suggested that a strategy should be developed to address international water issues.

There had also been a dispute with Balochistan over water consumption as the province was not being given its legitimate share from the Indus River. Balochistan is receiving only 5% of water from the Indus River and its remaining areas depend on rains.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th,  2015.

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