Infrastructure needs: Experts push for water conservation

Speakers note that resources are depleting fast

ISLAMABAD: Experts at a consultative forum have underlined the importance of taking pragmatic steps for water resources conservation to ensure sustainable agriculture and energy development.

They were speaking at a consultative meeting organised by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) here on Wednesday titled, ‘Developing the ICIMOD medium term action plan 2018-2022: Emerging opportunities and priorities for the Hindukush Himalaya Region’.

The speakers noted that water resources - both surface and underground - are depleting at a rapid pace and there is a need for long term planning for their conservation to ensure energy and water security in the country.

Speaking on the occasion, Indus River System Authority (IRSA) Punjab member Rao Irshad Ahmed Khan mentioned that Pakistan mountainous areas including Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral have the potential of energy generation, which can be harnessed for generating clean energy, a way forward towards addressing the energy crisis.

Besides generating clean energy, such initiatives will also help in provision of employment opportunities to the people of mountainous areas.

He mentioned that country wasted millions of acre feet (MAF) of rain and flood water every year, which goes into Arabian Sea because of lack of water reservoirs. He underlined that building more reservoirs will help in conservation of water resources in addition to mitigate the flash flood damages in the downstream areas as the country is losing arable lands and infrastructure worth billions of rupees due to flash floods.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 4^th, 2016.

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