Call for saving water resources to prevent crisis

PESHAWAR: Former secretary Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) and an agriculture expert Khan Faraz has stressed the need for utilising all available methods for saving water resources in the country. He feared that Pakistan may face serious challenges in future if proper strategies were not adopted to tackle this issue.

Referring to a recent report of the United Nations, he said that at least 45 million children in the South Asian region lacked access to drinking water. He said other reports published over the last five years pointed out that Pakistan may face a drinking water crisis by 2030.

“The experts have done their share of work: raising alarm bells and warning the country that it can lose access to a vital utility if people are not careful with their spending habits. During a recently concluded conference at Karachi, experts stressed the importance of thinking of ourselves as part of nature,” Khan Faraz said.

“The scarcity of water can be fixed if we start taking care of the other elements,” he said. The former secretary PTB said that technological advancements over the years have created deep divides between people and nature.

“The idea of protecting nature has been dismissed by the urge to make profits and climb up the ladder of growth. Only a healthy planet can give our children the healthy future they desperately need,” he opined. He said the country also has to understand that in its fight against water insecurity, it stands alone.

He said countries around the world have shown repeatedly that they are not interested in fixing climate-vulnerable countries. “Pakistan does not lack resources, and it can reverse some of the effects of climate change.