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Thursday March 28, 2024

Dealing with water challenge

It is imperative for Pakistan’s decision maters, intellectuals, media and civil society to grasp that water is at the heart of sustainable development. Given the scarce water resources in view of their ever increasing demand due to population growth, urbanization and industrialization, water challenge has emerged as key theme at

By our correspondents
April 25, 2015
It is imperative for Pakistan’s decision maters, intellectuals, media and civil society to grasp that water is at the heart of sustainable development. Given the scarce water resources in view of their ever increasing demand due to population growth, urbanization and industrialization, water challenge has emerged as key theme at the global level forcing governments to suggest policy prescriptions to address the challenge on urgent basis. It also explains why inter-state and intra-state conflicts over water have become a routine occurrence. Keeping in view the very dependence of humanity on water in addition to its relevance to the nations’ socio-economic development, water security has come to be identified as an inseparable component of national security paradigm.
This is even greater for a country like Pakistan, which is confronted with acute water shortage. The criticality of the challenge can be gauged from the fact that at time of the country’s inception, per capita water availability was over 5000 cubic meter against a population of 34 million. Over the last six decades or so, the country stands at the threshold of acute water scarcity as its per capita availability has come down to a little over 1000 cubic meter.
The reasons responsible for marked reduction in water availability include phenomenal escalation in population, urbanization, inability to construct enough water storages and gradual erosion in the storage capacity of existing water reservoirs due to phenomenon of sedimentation. If urgent steps are not taken to stem depleting water resources, the country can be exposed to the prospect of water scarcity with lethal implications for its people, agriculture, and economy. Such a possibility is staring Pakistan in the face as the water availability is likely to go down to 8.9% per capita by 2025.
Nature has blessed Pakistan with abundant water resources. According to studies, the country has average water flows of 145 million acre feet (MAF) per annum.
However, we have just been able to develop water storage capacity of 14 MAF against a world average of 40%, which is just 10% of average annual flows. After Mangla, Tarbela and Chashma, the country has not developed any noticeable mega hydel project. Given the present level of sedimentation, our water storages would lose 37% (6.2 MAF) of their capacity by 2025, which virtually means loss of one mega storage project.
Agriculture tops the list of water-consuming sectors as more than 90% of the country’s water resources are used in irrigated agriculture.
About half of our population is associated with agriculture sector. It employs about 45% of workforce and contributes about 21% to Gross Domestic Product. Pakistan is able to divert about 104 MAF of surface water for irrigation that feeds the world’s largest contiguous irrigation system, which is spread over more than 48 million acres of fertile Indus plains. There are 20 million acres of virgin land, which can be brought under plough if more water is available. Out of annual water flows, about 30 million acre feet of water flows into the sea from Kotri barrage every year over and above mandatory flushing. Over the last 35 years, we have wasted 1095 MAF to the sea.
The water crisis is further aggravating due to a combination of climate change, merciless pumping of surface water and extravagant use of precious water resources. Geographical fault-lines Pakistan is located at are subject to erratic weather pattern due to phenomenon of climate change. The country faced less rains and drought-like situation from 2001 to 2009 followed by super floods in 2010 onwards. Anthropogenic climate change is only one of many pressures on freshwater systems. Climate and freshwater systems are inter-connected in complex ways. Any change in one of these systems induces a change in the other. It is projected that there will be rise in temperature in Pakistan plains to the tune of 4 degrees by the end of current century. Water use, in particular irrigation water use, generally increases with temperature. If this is the case, then in Pakistan where water use is dominated by irrigation and accounts for more than 90% of total consumptive water use, we have to take pre-emptive measures to mitigate the negative impacts of Climate Change on water resources.
The situation is indeed alarming with horrendous potential if no remedial steps are taken to address the water challenge. This makes the integrated water resource management all the more inevitable to develop a holistic approach at the national level.
To begin with, any delay in constructing the additional water storages will be suicidal. As explained above, we are wasting precious water resources for lack of sufficient water reservoirs. If we do not increase our water storage capacity, we will suffer greater havoc in the form of floods whose possibility is all the more real due to increased flows from glacier melting. The efficacy of dams was proven last year when Raised Mangala Dam trimmed peak floods from Chenab and Jhelum Rivers and saved the country from incalculable destruction. The development of Indus Cascade offers the way forward as potential water storages have already been identified on it.
Secondly, instead of flood irrigation, we need to adopt modern irrigation techniques such as drip and sprinkler. This will reduce water wastage by half and make more water available for irrigated agriculture.
Thirdly, treatment plants need to be installed for making saline and effluent water useable for agriculture and fishery. The fact of the matter is that out of 104 MAF diverted at canal head, only 58 MAF is available at the farm gate and the rest of water is lost due to flawed conveyance system. Hence, we need to work on improving the efficiency of conveyance infrastructure such as canals and water courses to minimize water losses. A mutually cooperative framework will have to be developed between the provinces for this purpose as conveyance system is administrated directly by provinces.
Fifthly, there is an urgent need of sensitizing the people about adopting the conservation habits as national character. It calls for greater collaboration among all stakeholders. Media and educational institutions have a key role to play in making awareness campaign a great success. We need to incorporate the theme of water conservation in our school curriculum so that students get to imbibe this habit in their formative phase.
What we need to understand is that we have a duty of bequeathing a prosperous and developed country to succeeding generations which is self-sufficient in meeting its basic needs.
It is about time we focused on optimally harnessing our indigenous hydel resources besides cutting down on extravagant use of water through introduction of high efficiency irrigation techniques and water conservation.
It is encouraging to note that the Minister for Water and Power in his remarks on the occasion of World Water Day in March, has acknowledged the criticality of water for Pakistan and resolved that the government will do it’s utmost to address and resolve this issue to ensure prosperity of the country in the future.
(The writer can be reached at amanatchpk@gmail.com)