Experts at a day-long conference on Monday warned that the mighty Indus might run dry or reduced to just a seasonal river if the glaciers in the upcountry areas continued to melt at a faster pace that could put lives of over 240 million people in jeopardy.
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI-Pakistan) in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), organised a comprehensive workshop and panel discussion titled “Climate Change: Implications for the Water Sector”.
During the panel discussion, the experts told the participants, including experts, academia, researchers, students and the media, that the water availability was not an issue for Pakistan rather its governance and conservation was highly significant.
The weather patterns and rain spells were shifting and increasing in magnitude that provided a potential opportunity to embrace rainwater harvesting, and preservation as an alternate to urban flooding and water scarcity to recharge groundwater aquifer, they added.
In his opening remarks, Dr Azeem Ali Shah, head of the Water Management for Enhanced Productivity (WMfEP) initiative at the IWMI, highlighted the achievements and challenges associated with water governance and productivity initiatives in the region.
Muhammad Nawaz, the development specialist at the USAID-Pakistan, emphasised that the policy frameworks and legislation intended to address water and climate change issues should be based on scientific evidences and thorough studies, otherwise it would be shooting in the dark.
“In 2022, initially temperature shoot up and suddenly dropped resulting in heavy downpour that was 87% heavier than country’s average rainfall. These abrupt changes refer to climate change,” Nawaz added.
During the panel discussion, IWMI researcher Dr Novaira Junaid said that Pakistan’s growing population was putting pressure on the environment and livelihoods, leading to economic breakdown which demanded of the country to opt for efforts to mitigate climate change impacts.
Dr Shah discussed water governance issues and termed it a triple looming process. “Water is crucial for achieving SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] targets as the chair of the UN-Water said, ‘If we failed to achieve [water-related] SDG-6 by 2030; we would risk the success of all other SDGs.”
Gender expert Khadija Begum said the differential impact of climate change on countries and people was impacting both nations and states variably. “Women should have a strong voice in climate adaptive policies, which would enhance their access to resources and build climate resilience,” she added.
Water management expert Dr Shahid Iqbal said that in the last 70 years, [1950-2020] a 0.89 degree Celsius temperature had already increased in Pakistan, along with a degree Celsius temperature rise in its glaciated region in the north.
He underscored that the Indus river would lose its might and grandeur if all glaciers melt by 2050. “Pakistan has the world’s largest river water of Indus and it only stores 10% of its total water, whereas in the US, the Colorado river’s total water is conserved which is huge,” he added.
Climate remote sensing expert Prof Dr Hammad Gillani stressed the need for bridging gap between researchers and policy makers for well-informed legislation.
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