Round-table discussion: Experts warn of looming water emergency

Drought, increasing population considered key reasons behind crisis


News Desk November 14, 2018
PHOTO: FILE

Pakistan’s water profile is drastically changing from being a water abundant country to a water-scarce country due to depletion of its fresh water resources because of increasing population, adverse climate variations like drought and inconsistent monsoon patterns and the lack of storage facilities.

If we do not take effective timely steps then the results will worsen with drastic effects of floods and severe droughts. Changes in water availability will also impact health and food security and have already proven to trigger non-security challenges such as, refugee dynamics, political instability, and economic growth and as well as decrease in the national developmental progress.

This was said by Major General (Retd) Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery in his opening remarks at a roundtable discussion organised by Center for Global and Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad on “Water Security: Issues/Way Forward on Aggression and Conservation”. The discussion took place on Tuesday, and was held at the Islamabad Club. It was held as a follow-up to a conference on the aforementioned subject. More than 50 water security experts shared their ideas on the looming water crisis in Pakistan and also gave recommendations to mitigate the challenges and to devise policy framework.

Security experts provide their valuable insight for the mitigation of this ongoing water issue in Pakistan. According to them we need to take more practicable steps. Pakistan should develop legal challenge by gathering legal experts and taking its case to International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding Indus Water Treaty.

It was mentioned that Pakistan is lacking in its implementation phase. In all our policies we go till the planning phase but not the implementation part. Pakistan is in need of small dams, however, thus far they have been giving priority to constructing larger dams. Experts recommended that small dams be built by private sector and suggested that the investors should be incentivised.

Furthermore, the experts suggested that, rain water harvesting must be introduced in local households, in both urban and rural areas. Flood irrigation is a criminal act that is still being practiced in Pakistan. Improved irrigation methods and crop zoning are the country’s need at the moment. Navigation industry and water parks are promising and can alleviate flooding.

There is a need to reuse water in houses like the water used in our kitchens can be reused in our toilets. Enhance the capacity building at all the levels for instance, awareness campaigns particularly at educational institutions.

The experts were of the view that the government should bring all stakeholders together to implement effective policy to overcome this persisting issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2018.

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