The latest bulletin from the Indus River System Authority anticipates that there is going to be a 35-40 per cent shortfall of water for irrigation in the Rabi season that starts on October 1st. It advises the government to begin work urgently on at least two storage reservoirs in order to address future needs.
Water is inevitably a significant factor in the conflict between Pakistan and India, which has also taken a step backward in the last week. India has postponed the already-agreed inspection of two of its hydro-power projects, a move almost certainly part of the collateral damage that comes with the cancellation of the meeting between the respective foreign ministers at the UNGA. The reason cited by India for the postponement of the monitoring visit by a Pakistan team is ‘local elections’ in the areas that were to be visited.
The subcontinent has reached the bottom line as far as water is concerned and the failure to effectively manage the water shortages — and floods — by both India and Pakistan with the possibility of India weaponising water (if it has not already done so) now poses a serious threat to both countries. Politics both local and international has hamstrung both countries and limited their capacity to cope with the crisis. For Pakistan the problem is immediate. It cannot be back-burnered. Urgent contingency measures, and that means big dams being built as quickly as possible and dams are slow to build, need to be taken. Crowd-funding dam building is a project that is a century-long in real terms; popular it may be but a resolution it is not. Bluntly put, Pakistan has run out of time when it comes to water. Clock ticks, tap drips.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 27th, 2018.
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