Our country is grappling with an acute shortage of water. Reviving the age-old mantra of building dams has further intensified the controversy. Under such circumstances, would it not be wise to explore the opportunities beyond the traditional means and methods of distributing and conserving water in Pakistan until the ‘dam dispute’ among the federating units of the country gets resolved? The water crisis can be addressed by employing various innovative techniques and new technology. In its recent report ‘World Water Development Report 2018’, the UN has recommended nature-based solutions for water (NBS), which include building green infrastructure rather than grey infrastructure. These solutions focus on preserving the natural ecosystems and giving impetus to environmental engineering (not civil engineering at the cost of nature) to improve the management of water resources.
However, all these measures will go to waste if the government fails to increase vegetation and forestry, control overpopulation, improve governance and diplomacy, educate people about the rarity and importance of water – the elixir of life – and, enforce the judicious use of water through legislation.
Raja Khan Khokhar
Karachi
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