‘Water scarcity could cost Pakistan its future’

Experts lament the absence of a centralised forum for addressing water-related problems.

KARACHI: The absence of a political will to deal with water scarcity could cost the country its future, warned experts.

Experts from various NGOs stressed that the absence of a national water policy is alarming. They were speaking at a consultative workshop organised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Pakistan, in collaboration with Oxfam-Novib. The objective of the workshop was to discuss various problems that Sindh has when it came to essential natural resources, and to also devise a plan to address them. Senior government officials, and members of the academia were also present.

The conference came at the heels of a meeting on water-logging problems, that was presided over by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah. Officials at the meeting informed Shah of the problems caused by torrential rains that have lashed out several districts in the province for three years in a row.

At the IUCN conference, Dr Shahid Ahmad, an eminent expert in drainage, soil and water resources, lamented that despite the presence of several NGOs that concentrate their activities on water-related issues, there was no central forum where stakeholders could work together to address these problems. Dr Ahmed added that the authorities needed to focus on a data-centric approach to deal with these issues, and suggested that postgraduate and doctorate courses be introduced to train students so that they are able to compile the necessary statistics. Over 60 percent of diseases prevalent in the country are water-borne, observed Dr Ahmed, adding that a national water policy has been in the pipeline since the last six years.

However, water theft is a major problem that utilities have to deal with. Nearly 35 percent of the water supplied to the city is wasted through leakages or water theft, and only 27 percent of consumers pay their monthly water bills, complained Javed Shamim of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board. How can we maintain our systems and pay our staff if people don’t pay their bills on time, asked Shamim. The monthly water bill of a 120-square-yard house comes to Rs112, he added.



IUCN Pakistan’s acting country representative Mahmood Akhtar Cheema noticed that depleting water resources is one of the most pressing issues that have to be dealt with at the regional, national, and global levels. Water is essential not only for daily consumption, but also for the economic development of the country. “If we are not judicious with our use of this resource, then we are going to leave multiple challenges for future generations.” Cheema said that relevant authorities need to effectively manage water for domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors.

Zabardast Khan Bangash, who oversees IUCN activities in Balochistan, lamented that the country’s most water-starved province lacks the capacity to store water. Former IUCN global vice president Javed Jabbar said that the rate of urbanisation in Pakistan was greater than that of its neighbour, India, but the country’s natural resources had been damaged by industrial activities. IUCN Pakistan’s Shahid Sayeed Khan stressed on the need for raising awareness among the people about water conservation.

Javeria Afzal, adviser on climate change and livelihoods at Oxfam-Novib, highlighted the importance of the scarce commodity for food security, and called for a practical approach to deal with the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2013.