Where all the water goes

This year’s UN’s water theme of ‘leaving no one behind’ is a clear expression of marking no discrimination, in order to bring sustainable development to the society. There is no denying the fact that water is life and it is crucial for human survival in terms of food security. At collective level, it fuels economic growth and steers the economies like ours which are agrarian in nature.

United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) — 6 on ‘Clean Water & Sanitation’ marks the access to clean water as a basic human right. It stresses on taking everyone along and making strategic plans that do not leave any individual behind.

Water scarcity currently affects four out of every ten people in the world. The situation is worsening owing to population growth, urbanisation, pollution of water resources and the impact of climate change. It has been estimated that the world is facing a water deficit of 19% which is expected to go up to 40% by 2030. About 1.1 billion people lack access to water and around 2.7 billion people face water scarcity equal to about a month in a year. Inadequate sanitation affects about 2.4 billion people being vulnerable to diseases and water-borne illnesses. The access to water and sanitation represents a global threat i.e. 1,400 children under the age of five are dying from diarrhoea.

The water resource is depleting at a rapid pace with some countries at a higher risk than others. It is, however, relieving to know that water scarcity is not inevitable. Our behaviour, usage, management and government policies are directly correlated to it. Some studies even suggest that scarcity is a policy-induced consequence of mismanaging water resources. This means that if managed properly, by all the actors collectively, we can ensure that all of us have access to it.

Keeping this in mind, many countries in the world have come up with regulations that advise optimal use of water for different purposes to achieve similar results and hampering the wastage. The situation in Pakistan is not much different and it calls for immediate actions to be taken in a way that deliver results. It is pleasing to mention here that the country has come up with a National Water Policy last year with Punjab taking lead yet again in terms of formulation and passage (in the process) of a Water Act.

Recently published, a World Bank report, “Pakistan Getting More from Water”, is relevant to summarise here because it gives a comprehensive picture of Pakistan’s water resources and how it can be managed optimally.

As per the report, Pakistan’s current per person water availability is 1,100 cubic meters. The report clearly spells out that Pakistan does not make the best use of its available water. It has poor water resource management and poor water service delivery. We, as a country, are performing far from perfect in this regard. Some key highlights of the report are worth discussing here:

Agriculture uses most of the country’s water, with declining contribution to the national GDP which is about one quarter. The four major crops (wheat, rice, sugarcane, and cotton) that represent nearly 80 per cent of all water use generate less than five per cent of GDP.

The economic losses associated with water cost the country billions of dollars every year. According to estimates, the country faces average annual losses of about four per cent of GDP in terms of healthcare, floods, and water scarcity in agriculture.

Water-related diseases are a leading cause of suffering and death in Pakistan. Poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene contribute to very high levels of stunting among children.

Though the growth of population is getting slow, it is still projected to exceed 300 million by 2047, with an increasing demand. Without effective demand management mechanisms, only increasing the supply wouldn’t help. With ongoing trends, water demand could increase by nearly 50 per cent by the year 2047 significantly exceeding the supply.

Pakistan’s major agriculture exports consume a large fraction of water while profitability is sensitive to international prices. That is why agriculture sector needs to become more responsive to variations in the water availability.

The largest increases in demand will come from irrigation as the current trends show. Population and economic growth are the main drivers, but climate warming will contribute significantly.

The economic productivity of water is very low, especially in agriculture. Productivity improvements in agriculture will require better management of water delivery with improved on-farm water management, increased input quality, crop diversification, and better pest control.

Biodiversity losses — declining fish stock and degradation of the Indus Delta ecosystem — are increasing with nothing being done to recover the losses.

The greatest long term risk to groundwater sustainability is pollution.

It becomes very clear that most of the country’s water problems are either demand-related, that too are coming substantially from the agriculture sector, or policy-related, that we have been lacking for almost half a century. It is no secret that many developing economies import high water-footprint products from the less-developing economies so that they can save their own water resources. We need to rethink our export line with introducing policies that ensure optimal water use in agriculture with access to safe water for every nook and corner of the country. As it is a basic human right, the state should take over the responsibility of its judicious use.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 11^th, 2019.

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