Wasting water

Already water insecure, Pakistan faces a potentially catastrophic shortage of water as the ravages of global warming lead to the drying of our rivers. As a country that receives little rainfall, it is essential we be prudent in our use and innovative in our storage of water. To say we have fallen short so far would be a major understatement. Members of the Indus River System Authority and the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources told the Senate Forum for Policy Research that Pakistan dumps about $21 billion worth of water into the sea every year because we do not have sufficient water conservation systems. This amounts to more than half of the total water the country receives in a year. The problem, according to the experts, is that our current dam capacity can only store a total of 30 days of water. The experts feel that one solution is to construct the controversial Kalabagh Dam. But that project is a non-starter because of the resolute opposition of all provinces other than Punjab. Still, it is undeniable that the capacity of the Tarbela and Mangla dams is being reduced by the gradual addition of silt. The solution may be to build a series of small dams and reservoirs which are less disruptive than mega dams.

In the long run, we will have to be smarter in how water is distributed and used. For agriculture, Pakistan uses the wara bandi system of distribution where an outdated schedule is employed to decide how much water should be given to each irrigator. This is done on the basis of the size of landholdings in an area. We need to use modern and flexible techniques to ascertain how much water is needed on agricultural land based on its soil characteristics and the types of crops being cultivated there. For the last decade, Pakistan has suffered regular bouts of drought and flooding. Both problems will become worse as glaciers – one of our main sources of water along with monsoon rainfall – continue to melt. Our ballooning population, as measured in the recent census, will put an even larger strain on our water resources. The water problem is a worldwide one which is why India has been constructing dams at breakneck speed, thereby reducing our own share. Should be the problem be exacerbated – and all signs point to that happening – not only will we suffer mass drought and starvation, we could also end up fighting our neighbours for access to this scarce resource. For too long has Pakistan delayed taking any action but the day of reckoning has now come.