38m people lack access to drinking water
In Pakistan, 38.5million people lack access to safe drinking water and 50.7million people lack access to improved sanitation.
KARACHI:
In Pakistan, 38.5 million people lack access to safe drinking water and 50.7 million people lack access to improved sanitation, said Chairman of the FPCCI Standing Committee on Research and Development, Dawood Usman Jakhura.
“Pakistan is using almost all its water resources today and no more is available,” he said while addressing a seminar on the Looming Water Crisis in Pakistan.
To tackle the issues and challenges being faced by the business community, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has been organising a series of seminars and workshops with particular focus on issues related to trade, industry and investment for expansion of economic activities and to create an innovative public-private partnership.
Jakhura said that Pakistan only stores 30 days of river water while India stores for 120 days and the Colorado River system in the US has a storage capacity of up to 900 days.
He said that new water reservoirs will push the economy forward and new dams can potentially add four to five per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP).
Mansha Churra, Vice President of FPCCI, stated that there are six very important water projects available in Pakistan with a combined storage potential of 10.5 million acre feet of water.
Pakistan is currently close to using all of the surface and groundwater which is available, yet it is projected that over 30 per cent more water will be needed over the next 20 years to meet the increased agricultural, domestic and industrial demand.
Furthermore, he said that water scarcity is the single largest threat to human health, environment and global food supply.
He said that major issues in the looming water crisis are the rapid increase in population, resulting in less water availability per capita, stagnation in development of water resources, increase in the frequency of droughts and floods due to climate change, inadequate water storages and sedimentation of existing reservoirs, low irrigation efficiency and productivity.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2010.
In Pakistan, 38.5 million people lack access to safe drinking water and 50.7 million people lack access to improved sanitation, said Chairman of the FPCCI Standing Committee on Research and Development, Dawood Usman Jakhura.
“Pakistan is using almost all its water resources today and no more is available,” he said while addressing a seminar on the Looming Water Crisis in Pakistan.
To tackle the issues and challenges being faced by the business community, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) has been organising a series of seminars and workshops with particular focus on issues related to trade, industry and investment for expansion of economic activities and to create an innovative public-private partnership.
Jakhura said that Pakistan only stores 30 days of river water while India stores for 120 days and the Colorado River system in the US has a storage capacity of up to 900 days.
He said that new water reservoirs will push the economy forward and new dams can potentially add four to five per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP).
Mansha Churra, Vice President of FPCCI, stated that there are six very important water projects available in Pakistan with a combined storage potential of 10.5 million acre feet of water.
Pakistan is currently close to using all of the surface and groundwater which is available, yet it is projected that over 30 per cent more water will be needed over the next 20 years to meet the increased agricultural, domestic and industrial demand.
Furthermore, he said that water scarcity is the single largest threat to human health, environment and global food supply.
He said that major issues in the looming water crisis are the rapid increase in population, resulting in less water availability per capita, stagnation in development of water resources, increase in the frequency of droughts and floods due to climate change, inadequate water storages and sedimentation of existing reservoirs, low irrigation efficiency and productivity.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 24th, 2010.