Day zero

In a remote village in the Awaran district of Balochistan, at least six people have died within the last four days apparently after drinking contaminated water. Another 130 from the same village lie writhing in pain in the local hospital. Army helicopters have airlifted some of the most seriously sick to Hub and medical teams sent by the military have moved into the area to assess the situation and offer further aid including tankers of clean water to drink. The problem in Awaran is not an isolated one. At least 40 percent of all deaths in the country are attributed to water-borne diseases. Children are the most vulnerable to these illnesses. Global agencies have warned about the approach of ‘Day Zero’ in various cities of the world. This is a day when water is forecast to run out in these cities. The South African city of Cape Town was the first on the list with its Day Zero marked on the calendar for April this year. Through a valiant struggle and a huge effort launched by authorities and civilians, this day has for now been delayed. Severe restrictions are in place on the use of water with the amount for the amount for each family strictly limited. Campaigns run everywhere to remind people of the consequences that would be faced if water ran out completely. The long drought in the Cape Town area, and in other parts of the world, has contributed to the terrifying problem.

In Pakistan some experts predict Day Zero may come by 2020, only two years from now. For years, there have been warnings about the rapid contamination of the country’s water resources and scarcity of water in the country. There are predictions by UN agencies that by 2025 Pakistan will be facing a severe water crisis. The problem has been blamed on the Indus Waters Treaty and the division of water resources between Pakistan and India. It is, however, also true that we have managed our existing resources very badly with ground water increasingly contaminated by the toxins which leach into it from pesticides, fertilizers and factory effluents. Despite promises by successive governments, no strategy is in place to offer people safe water and save them from calamity. It is quite obvious that we need a policy immediately. As a country that till 1970 was water abundant, most of us think little about how much water we use and how much we waste. We think even less of the rapid contamination of water in streams, under the ground and in other places. It is time to think about this and ward off the crisis that lies ahead. Failing to do so would put us as a country in very grave danger.