Addressing water worries

The National Water Council is set to hold its first meeting at the end of this month to address water worries across provincial water sectors. Indubitably, this is one of the most pressing issues of our time. The lack of water, both potable and unpotable, continues to negatively impact a plethora of other areas, including hygiene, health, agriculture, education, and industry, not to mention the biome of the region. The Council’s urgency in the matter will be appreciated; the team includes five private industry experts from whom we have high expectations, in addition to the chief ministers and finance ministers on the team alongside Prime Minister Imran Khan. Specific measures to update the existing water accord to match today’s population demands are in order.

Disputes with India over water resources will continue long term inevitably and incessantly to maintain a means of applying pressure on Pakistan. Our internal neglect of the water sector over the decades has resulted in inter-provincial disputes over water supply, which is detrimental to national interest. Islamabad and Sindh have already had a run-in over sharing water resources and Balochistan lodged a complaint against Sindh for hogging supply. Sindh has valid reasons for requiring more water — but we will ignore the fact that it exists adjacent to the Indian Ocean, the third largest ocean in the world. There is no justification for violations of prior agreements.

Coming to the 1991 Water Appointment Accord, the Council of Common Interests and the National Water Council do in fact need to revise figures established in 1991 for the allocation of water to provinces. This should have been achieved years ago with the influx of citizens from other provinces and refugees into Sindh. The diaspora, because it was not analysed early enough, has led to this water crisis. Once again, setting targets such as increasing the number of reservoirs and constructing dams is a start but realistic, measurable and attainable strategies will need to be implemented to carry ambitions forward. The Council is also advised to examine the environmental impact of the meat and dairy industries in relation to water. Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2018.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.