It is reported that 650 million people in the world can’t get safe drink of water. 900 children under five years are killed in the world each day by drinking dirty water. It is estimated that every 1 dollar invested in improving water supply yields gains of $ 4 to $ 12 depending on the type of intervention. This year UN Water Day, marked on March 22, is focused on water and jobs and is designed to highlight how water can create paid and decent work and contribute to a greener economy and sustainable development.
In our case we have not built any water storages in the past four decades and the only two water dams of Tarbela and Mangla are aging by the day. Mangla dam is going to be closed shortly for repairs which will plunge Punjab in water scarcity and power shortage which was never foreseen by the authorities who are preoccupied with meeting power shortages. The eminent engineer Mr Shams-ul-Mulk is on record for saying that when water shortages hit the nation, we would forget power shortages as even one day cannot be spent without water. The writing on the wall is not visible to rulers and planners due to myopic vision of their minds which only Allah can cure.
DR MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI
Lahore