Pakistani rulers failed to conserve water: CM

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Pervez Khattak said on Monday the past rulers failed to focus on water conservation.

“Water is the dominant source of life for nations and should have been an integral part of our internal and foreign policies,” he said while addressing as chief guest at the concluding session of a conference on water, jointly organised by the Hisar Foundation and Asia Foundation at a hotel in the provincial capital. 

Besides water experts from various public and private sector organisations, provincial Minister for Education Muhammad Atif Khan, University of Peshawar vice-chancellor, chief executive officer of the Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar, Director General North Wapda and other officials also addressed the event.

The speakers highlighted issues of draught, water and food shortage and stressed the need for a comprehensive national water policy.Referring to the ever-growing crisis in the drinking and irrigation water sectors in various parts of the country including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the chief minister said the rulers had failed to combat such challenges.

He said the government should educate people in cities and towns to protect the water resources and not to allow its wastage.  Appreciating the role of Hissar Foundation and Asia Foundation for efforts for formulating the national water policy and undertaking research, Pervez Khattak said the provincial government would consider its recommendations and extend support to it in future too. 

He said the departments concerned, authorities and stakeholders, including irrigation, public health, energy, local government, environment, communications & works departments were being instructed to adopt practicable measures for stopping waste of water resources, protecting the water reservoirs and working for drastic increase in it.

The chief minister said the network of small dams was also being expanded throughout the province.Pervez Khattak said the PTI-led provincial government had taken two major steps to increase water resources. He said that steps were taken to check the wastage of water resources and also measures were adopted for maximum afforestation, especially in the areas facing dry spell or water logging and salinity.

He recalled that his provincial government had imposed ban on windfall trees without accepting any kind of pressure. The chief minister said the timber mafia was out to destroy precious forest wealth and harm our environment. He said the provincial government had achieved its targets under the billion tree tsunami, which was aimed to improve the environment.

“Efforts for improving our environment also led to increasing our water resources,” he said, adding the government had to legislate to bring the province on the right track. He said the government had to face prolonged litigations against its reforms agenda but it didn’t lose the cases due to its sincerity.

The chief minister agreed with the viewpoint of water experts that people could only benefit from the fruit of the efforts by streamlining the works of all departments and sectors associated with environmental health and increasing water resources. He said the provincial government would take effective steps in this regard as well.