There is unquestionable need to give more attention to water conservation and preventing water loss within the existing irrigation system, besides trying to increase water supplies
The increasing imbalance between the availability and demand of water is becoming a very serious problem. The UN keeps warning that during the next 25 years, many violent water conflicts could emerge within and between countries around the world. But the situation is no less alarming even today. Nearly twenty percent of the current world population — over one billion people — lacks access to safe drinking water.
Given the evident importance of water in the lives of individuals and nations led the UN to designate March 22 as World Water Day, so that it should be celebrated across the world as a day of action to help address this global public crisis. Although numerous countries are faced with a similar threat of water shortages, let us look at the challenges facing our own country and try to see what can be done to overcome them.
It is surprising to note that just a few decades ago Pakistan was considered to have an abundance of fresh water. Yet a recent World Bank report has listed Pakistan among 17 countries that are facing an acute water shortage. Government sources also confirm that the per capita availability of water has gradually dwindled from over 5,000 cubic metres in 1951 to 1,100 cubic metres. Such estimates based on averages are misleading, however, since they do not distinguish between those who have excess access to water and others without access to even the average amount.
Thus, looking at other data to understand the severity of the problem is necessary. A revealing alternative statistic maintains that less then sixty percent of the current population of the country has no access to safe drinking water.
One obvious reason for this decreasing water availability is that the nation’s population was under 34 million in 1951, but it has exceeded the 160 million mark, and is further expected to grow to around 220 million by 2025. Water scarcity will obviously be compounded in the future when more and more water will be required to meet increased agricultural, domestic and industrial demand.
The World Bank has pointed out that Pakistan is currently close to using up all its surface and ground water. It backs this claim by pointing to the fact that Pakistan only stores 30 days of river water. India, on the other hand, stores four times as much. The decreasing reservoirs capacity is predicted to lessen the capita availability to about 550 cubic metres by 2025.
Despite this serious problem, however, the ongoing diversion of freshwater for industrial and agricultural production and the degradation of freshwater sources due to the discharge of industrial wastes, chemical inputs like pesticides, and even household sewage, continues causing further degradation of surface water quality.
Not focusing much on a more integrated approach to water management which aims to undertake a less disrupting and more holistic view towards utilisation of natural flows including their conservation, the World Bank is instead encouraging Pakistan to build new reservoirs to meet electricity demand and to fulfil its industrial and agricultural demands. The World Bank argues that these new water reservoirs can aggressively push Pakistan’s economy forward, and it has put forth optimistic projections in support of this claim, such as the estimation that every new dam built by the country will add four to five percent to Pakistan’s GDP.
New reservoirs are also considered vital to save the industrial sector from the consequences of a water shortage. There are over half a million small and big industrial units in the country and the estimated usage of water by all industries is 3.5 million acre feet at present but this demand is also going to continue increasing in line with ambitious production targets. Yet simultaneous measures to ensure the contamination of existing water supplies by these industries are still not being given the attention they need.
A similar trend is evident with regards to energy generation. Pakistan’s electricity demand is increasing by seven percent annually, due to which the need for new water reservoirs is considered urgent. It has been calculated that Pakistan has 50,000 MW of hydropower potential, but it is merely harnessing 14 percent against its total current requirement of 20,000 MW. Conversely, the example of China and India is cited which apparently produce 30 percent of their required power through water, while even more developed countries are harnessing 70 to 80 percent of their hydro-potential for energy generation.
Pakistan, instead of generating hydropower, is producing expensive thermal power. While the discovery of coal reserves in Thar may alter the economic cost of thermal energy, the fact remains that burning fossil fuels are a very polluting source of energy production.
Given the state of the environment, it is no longer feasible for even developing countries to merely brush aside the sustainability costs of energy production. Yet brushing aside legitimate fears of increased flooding and seawater intrusion, Pakistan recently unveiled plans to build a series of dams. The stated intentions in this regard include completing the Mangla Dam raising project by September 2008, and the construction of Mirani Dam, Gomal Zam Dam, Subakzai Dam and Satpara Dam by 2009.
Whether the new government would continue with plans to construct these mega water reservoirs, and thereafter the controversial Kalabagh Dam, remains to be seen. However, there is unquestionable need to give more attention to water conservation and preventing water loss within the existing irrigation system, besides trying to increase water supplies. Yet no new and encouraging policy announcements have been put forth to this effect to date.
It is also important to realise that water scarcity is exacerbating inter-household burdens, and interregional and international conflicts. For example, water scarcity leads women in poorer households to spend more time and effort to fetch water. These households also have to bear medical costs incurred due to increased sickness brought about by waterborne diseases. These issues also must be borne in mind and adequate steps taken to address them, instead of singularly thinking of increasing water availability for boosting industrial and agricultural output.
The writer is a researcher. He can be contacted at ali@policy.hu
Courtesy: daily times, 8/4/2008
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