As in news, the northern areas of the country have experienced 90 per cent more snowfall the past winter season compared to the previous year and are likely to face flooding during the ongoing monsoon season. One can blame it on the sheer incompetence of the relevant ministry that much of the water that can be conserved is wasted into the sea. The Ministry for Climate needs to do more than bragging and boasting about its Billion Tree Tsunami Drive. What is required is a massive revamping of the existing water conservation infrastructure. With new dams being out of question for tightened economic and political circumstances and existing dams nearing their capacity, it is now evident that the Dam Fund has only earned mockery even from our own people.
While the provincial Government of Sindh and the federal authorities continue to bicker in the Senate and the lower legislative house for Sindh’s unfair treatment, the Sindh government needs to stay heedful of the warning for Sindh’s coastal belt being gulped down by the seawater by 2030, an issue that directly falls under the realms of the provincial government’s affairs.
Moreover, adopting relatively newer water conservation and irrigation methods can help avert the crisis on a macro level. The incumbent minister for climate is anyone but an expert in her area of work. With that it has become even important that IRSA, SEPA and Water and Climate Ministry have experts that are well aware of the practicalities and technical intricacies involved so that the masses are not bogged down into wasteful initiatives like the Dam Fund.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 5th, 2019.
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