Although water is an omnipresent resource, yet many regions in the world are on the verge of water depletion. Pakistan is one of those countries, which according to a recent survey, touched “water stress line” in 1990’s and “water scarcity line” in 2005. The survey conducted by Pakistan Council of Research on Water Resources (PCRWR), further revealed that there are testing times ahead for Pakistan as the country would possibly run dry by 2025. The survey must act as an eye-opener for all and sundry in Pakistan. We need to act on better water conservation and water management mechanisms to deal with the impending water crisis.
We are very poor in managing our present water resources. Almost half of the country is immersed in floods in rainy season. The flood water ravages everything that comes in its way and goes straight into the river unutilised. Our irrigation canal system is poorly lined and outdated, wasting a huge portion of fresh water on daily basis. Sedimentation is another problem that decreases the storage capacity of our major dams. Moreover, annually 22MAF of fresh water is lost unutilised below Kotri into the sea.
Although the present government is taking ambitious steps for building new and existing dams, yet efforts must be made for adopting more effective and innovative water conservation methods. Rain water harvesting, building check dams and other water reservoirs would prevent much fresh water from wastage. As citizens we are also duty-bound to stop the wasteful use of water. If serious steps for water management and conservation are not taken forthwith, we are going to leave a dry and barren desert for our future generations.
Fakeha Faiz
Islamabad
