A bigger threat

The Executive Development Institute (EDI) is offering a course titled ‘Water scarcity in Pakistan: A myth or a reality’. The five-day course will be conducted in September. While the EDI has taken a positive need, adequate steps must be taken to ensure that the course is taught in an efficient manner. A brief summary of what the course was about should be shared in both the electronic and print media for the awareness of the people. In addition, experts must also suggest the maximum number of dams that should be constructed to store rainwater. The country is already on the verge of being a water-stressed country. Concrete steps should be taken to avoid the possibility of being a water-stressed country. The availability of water per capita in 1950 was 53,000 cubic meters and now it has been declined to 1,032 cubic meters. The number will keep moving south, if remedial measures are not taken.

Both the federal and provincial governments must allocate budget for the construction dams so that maximum water can be stored on an urgent basis. Other technologies like drip irrigation, rubber dams, canals renovation by dredging, and brick linings should be adopted so that the fast-paced evaporation of water can be controlled. In mega cities of Pakistan, a proper system should be designed to recycling the water used in kitchen. In the same manner, system should be set up to recycle wastewater flowing from bathrooms sinks, etc. The silting and sedimentation of existing Tarbela, Mangla and Warsak dams must be controlled. This will help save more water which will further enhance the generation of electricity. Instead of issuing warning that the country could run dry by 2025, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) must come up with better solutions to deal with this so-called bigger-than-terrorism threat. It is hoped that panellists and speakers attending the course will propose  innovative ideas to tackle the problem of the water shortage.

Engr Riaz Akbar

Wah Cantt