Water conference: Experts call for proper management of water
The potential severity of climate change on Pakistan also discussed.
ISLAMABAD:
With Pakistan facing severe water shortages in the future, experts have urged the government to make sure water for irrigation and power generation purposes is properly managed, rather than investing billions of rupees in infrastructure.
The calls came at a two-day conference titled “Water Governance in the Federal System: Facing the challenges of Climate Change” which ended on Friday. The conference was arranged by Forum of Federations and Center for Civic Education Pakistan with support from the German foreign office.
Dr Kaiser Bengali, a water expert and former adviser to the Sindh chief minister, said that following the 18th Amendment, responsibilities for such matters was largely with provincial governments.
“Provinces have to manage water efficiently as water crisis challenges are high,” Bengali said, adding that there is an urgent need to check and monitor the climate change, a possible cause of excessive rain.
Referring to the recent devastating floods in Sindh, Bengali urged stakeholders to look to the future. “We should stop the blame game and finger-pointing,” he added.
George Anderson, President Emeritus of the Forum of Federations, said that demand for water exceeded supply in the majority of countries.
“There are water disputes among the federating units and the federal government has to address these issues,” he said. Anderson also pointed to regional conflicts between countries such as India and Pakistan. “Developing consensus takes time, but it is key to stable long-term arrangements,” he said.
Professor Shafiqur Rahman from the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Peshawar, said that there was a need to take measures to tackle climate change in Pakistan. “The country needs the construction of big reservoirs to store water for irrigation and power generation purposes” he said.
Mohammad Tahir Qureshi from the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Pakistan said that the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan stretched around 1,000 kilometres. “Over 150,000 people use about 36,000 tons of mangroves firewood per month along the Pakistan coast. The ecosystems and livelihoods are under threat due to the scarcity of fresh water,” he said.
Dr Ishaq Baloch, Vice President of the National Party, said that there were 30,000 tube wells in Balochistan for irrigation purposes that were causing the loss of underground water.
Director Planning and Facilitation Sarhad Hydel Development Organisation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wajid Nawaz Khan said that Pakistan had a hydel potential of approximately 54,500 MW, but at present the total installed capacity of hydropower stations in the country was about 6,696 MW.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2011.
With Pakistan facing severe water shortages in the future, experts have urged the government to make sure water for irrigation and power generation purposes is properly managed, rather than investing billions of rupees in infrastructure.
The calls came at a two-day conference titled “Water Governance in the Federal System: Facing the challenges of Climate Change” which ended on Friday. The conference was arranged by Forum of Federations and Center for Civic Education Pakistan with support from the German foreign office.
Dr Kaiser Bengali, a water expert and former adviser to the Sindh chief minister, said that following the 18th Amendment, responsibilities for such matters was largely with provincial governments.
“Provinces have to manage water efficiently as water crisis challenges are high,” Bengali said, adding that there is an urgent need to check and monitor the climate change, a possible cause of excessive rain.
Referring to the recent devastating floods in Sindh, Bengali urged stakeholders to look to the future. “We should stop the blame game and finger-pointing,” he added.
George Anderson, President Emeritus of the Forum of Federations, said that demand for water exceeded supply in the majority of countries.
“There are water disputes among the federating units and the federal government has to address these issues,” he said. Anderson also pointed to regional conflicts between countries such as India and Pakistan. “Developing consensus takes time, but it is key to stable long-term arrangements,” he said.
Professor Shafiqur Rahman from the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Peshawar, said that there was a need to take measures to tackle climate change in Pakistan. “The country needs the construction of big reservoirs to store water for irrigation and power generation purposes” he said.
Mohammad Tahir Qureshi from the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Pakistan said that the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan stretched around 1,000 kilometres. “Over 150,000 people use about 36,000 tons of mangroves firewood per month along the Pakistan coast. The ecosystems and livelihoods are under threat due to the scarcity of fresh water,” he said.
Dr Ishaq Baloch, Vice President of the National Party, said that there were 30,000 tube wells in Balochistan for irrigation purposes that were causing the loss of underground water.
Director Planning and Facilitation Sarhad Hydel Development Organisation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wajid Nawaz Khan said that Pakistan had a hydel potential of approximately 54,500 MW, but at present the total installed capacity of hydropower stations in the country was about 6,696 MW.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2011.