In recent times we are regularly being told that Pakistan, already one of the most acutely water-stressed countries in the world, is at risk of becoming water scarce by the year 2025......
The thing is, water scarcity, by definition, implies that we are moving in the direction of dwindling water resources being a human problem rather than a geographical inconvenience. Thus, it would appear that it is not an insurmountable problem, as a World Bank study, led by Dr William Young, debunks the myth that water scarcity is Pakistan’s most pressing issue.
There are 32 nations globally that are more acutely affected by water stress, of which 24 are wealthier than Pakistan.
However, despite having the world’s largest glaciers, Pakistan is veritably facing the prospect of water scarcity, which is made all the more alarming by the fact that, as per an International Monetary Fund (IMF) study, our economy is the most water-intensive economy worldwide.
The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources states that the ‘water stress line’ was crossed in 1990, the ‘water scarcity line’ in 2005, and the country is at risk of ‘running dry’ in little over 5 years if the present conditions persist.
Read that last sentence again to let the enormity of the imminent threat sink in. No water in about 5 years in Pakistan; sounds unbelievable, but that’s what the projection is.
The threat to Pakistan’s already stressed hydrologic resources is exacerbated by realities of climate change. Our erratic monsoon patterns, with increasingly higher magnitude bursts of lower frequency rains, are not conducive to percolation, or raising the ground water level.
Rising temperatures, higher demand for water and increased evaporation further compound the problem. Without vegetation and forestation initiatives, in-filling of the natural aquifer is difficult, if not impossible, and our ‘natural underground water storage facility’ runs dry. Climate risk reports indicate that, due to all of these reasons, Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change.
The ever widening gap implies that we are, indeed, in hot water. So, where is our water going, anyway? Up to 95 percent of annual available surface water is used in agriculture and total domestic and industrial use remains at only 5 percent. Despite this, agricultural yields are low, with Pakistan ranking among the highest consumers of water per unit of produce.
More efficient irrigation methods seem to be the need of the hour, which have the potential to simultaneously reduce wastage and increase yield.
Further, logic dictates the heaviest users of water should be the ones paying more for its use. Yet, agriculture continues to remain largely untaxed. Illango Patchamuthu,
World Bank Country Director for Pakistan, has stated that boosting irrigation productivity, strengthening water governance and strategic water planning were essential to, “build[ing] resilience in the face of a changing climate and growing water demands”.
Water tariffs do inevitably constitute one of the aspects of water governance. Recently, it seems that the government has taken note of the lack of taxation. The suo moto case regarding the sale of bottled water produced from underground water sources and subsequent unequivocal decision of imposing a tax of Rs1.00 per litre for conserving precious water.
The rationale behind the water tax must be considered. If we are operating on the principle that precious water must be conserved for our future generations, would it not be better to adopt a more holistic approach? And, if mobilising public opinion is the objective, then should not all aspects of the perilous situation be looked into?
Industry-wise water usage volumes suggest that there are a myriad of industries, which rely heavily on the extraction of groundwater, particularly the cement industry, quoted as using upwards of 2.5 million gallons of water daily.
Similarly, the water footprint for tanneries comes entirely from blue water sources (water withdrawn from ground or surface water sources) and the amount of water evaporated during the production process is even higher than the amount explicitly calculated during processing in the supply chain. Textile processing, too, manifests usage of green water footprint sources only at the growth stage, and relies on blue water for the remainder of the supply chain.
Taxation on one industry, thus, is not the cure-all one might have hoped for. Our water conservation system is riddled with ‘leakages’. Instead, much more careful deliberation is required if we are to truly make waves in water conservation/preservation and judicious usage. Rainwater harvesting techniques, for starters, along with a paradigm-shift in the minds of consumers to rectify alarming consumption patterns and promote water reusage, are required. Most importantly, the government of Pakistan needs to rethink its strategy to educate the population at large on water conservation and take sustainable measures keeping the bigger picture in mind.
The writer is development practitioner
