‘High time Pakistan sincerely works on water management plans’

Pakistan desperately needs more water reservoirs and better planning on the government level to correct its water distribution system. To ensure these efforts are more than just cosmetic measures, it is imperative that Pakistan make sure they are not tainted by the curse of corrupt practices.

These views were expressed by speakers at a panel discussion on water issues organised by the Egalitarians - The Economic Society at the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) on Monday. 

Arshad Vohra, the deputy mayor of Karachi, held mismanagement as the core reason for the water scarcity in the city. He said Karachi presently required 1,100 million gallons of water per day but was only receiving 550mgd; only 50 percent of its actual requirement. He mentioned the K-IV Bulk Water Supply project was initiated in 2008 to overcome these issues, but unfortunately it could not be completed in time and its cost has since increased tenfold. 

“Had we completed this project five or six years ago, we would not be facing the crises we see today,” said Vohra.

The deputy mayor said the government should take on board all stakeholders in Karachi, including elected representatives of the people, and sincerely work towards resolving the longstanding issue of water scarcity. 

Vohra said Pakistan’s younger generation had a clearer view on the problems facing the country and they could play a pivotal role in pulling the country out of the quagmire of problems it faces today. 

The panellists informed the audience that according to a recent World Bank report, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board was a highly mismanaged organisation. The report suggested that if available water could be utilised properly, the issue of water scarcity could be easily resolved. 

Another speaker, the head of IoBM’s Department of Energy and Environment, Prof Dr Shahid Amjad, said Pakistan urgently needs to increase its capacity for storing rainwater. 

Ambassador Hasan Habib, a long serving Foreign Office executive whose last assignment was as Pakistan’s ambassador to North Korea, said it was a myth that India could stop water flow to Pakistan and dismissed all talk regarding India’s purported plans to violate the Indus Water Treaty. “India cannot stop our water share. It simply does not have any such capacity.”

Instead of focusing on our neighbours, he said, Pakistan should realise that it had failed to develop its water storage capacity and must start working to this end with unwavering commitment.

The rector and chief executive of IoBM, Talib S Karim, and renowned economist, Dr Shahida Wizarat, the dean of the College of Economics and Social Development, IoBM, also presented their views on the matter.