Wash the car with a bucket rather than a pipe, fix your leaking taps, make sure that you use enough amount of water when flushing the toilet as it saves a litre of water whenever you do this and be a bit practical with the tap while brushing your teeth.
These are the little things that experts believe would help us save the precious commodity of potable water.
At seminar titled ‘Gift of Life – models to provide clean drinking water in Pakistan’ on Thursday, speakers discussed issues related to provision of clean water in the country as well as different models that are being used to address them.
The seminar was organised by the Pakistan for Acumen Fund (PfA) and Institute of Business Administration’s (IBA) Career Development Centre at the IBA’s city campus. The panellists on the occasion included Pharmagen Healthcare Limited Managing Director Parvez Sufi, Health Oriented Preventive Education (HOPE) Chairperson Dr Mubina Agboatwala, Hisaar Foundation’s Taufiq Pasha Mooraj and Zafar Ahmed of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.
The speakers addressed the issue of water scarcity in the country and the challenges faced by their individual organisations while addressing it. They also highlighted their respective work in this field to provide an overview of their models for a solution to the water issue. They provided a comprehensive overview of the access (or lack of) to clean drinking water in the country, including distribution problems within certain areas of Karachi.
They also highlighted the important role being played by Acumen and other nongovernmental organisations to reach out to more people, in both rural and urban areas, who do not have access to clean water. The issue of non-payment of water bills was discussed as an important issue. The panellists shared technical and scientific details of water purification, along with research findings by HOPE about people’s perception of clean drinking water.
A part of the discussion revolved around water-borne diseases and how they prove to be fatal. Students were encouraged to be good citizens and play their role in home water management and flood relief efforts. In a video by Hisaar Foundation showcased at the beginning of the seminar, the foundation’s Taufiq Pasha Mooraj highlighted the severity of the situation by pointing out that people have to stand in lines carrying buckets line at government provided water taps or tankers.
“Parallel to the system that is supplying us water, there is a system taking this water back from us after once we have consumed it – the sewerage lines that are all leaking – and when there is no water in the supply lines, sewage water leaks into them. The seminar was attended by IBA students and faculty. The IBA started a “Responsible Citizen Initiative” programme last year in which BBA students are required to work in the social sector as internees for six weeks.
The programme is intended to make business students aware of the challenges faced by the less fortunate fellow citizens so that they become more effective and empathetic as “leaders of tomorrow”. The panel discussion was followed by an interactive question and answer session during which the audience had the opportunity to interact with the speakers.
Acumen Fund is a global non-profit venture fund that invests in enterprises that provide health, water, housing, energy and agriculture products and services to millions of consumers who lack access. PfA is a volunteer organisation that supports the work of the Acumen Fund. The PfA aims to create awareness about social enterprise along with assisting Acumen Fund seek out new investments in Pakistan.
Through such initiatives, Acumen Fund hopes to continue reaching out to students and young professionals along with addressing the most pertinent development needs of Pakistan.
