ISLAMABAD: Pakistan lost $90 billion worth of water in the recurring floods since 2010, reported a local media outlet.
“This is other than the devastating effects on infrastructure, livestock, agriculture and human lives,” said chairman Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources, Dr Mohammad Ashraf.
Speaking at a seminar titled International Decade for Action: Water for Sustainable Development 2018-28 on Thursday, Dr Ashraf said Pakistan is only storing 10pc of its water and with the increase in population and as a result of obsolete agricultural activities, there is huge pressure on groundwater depleting fast year-by-year across the country.
“Pakistan must store 40pc of its water, according to World Bank standards. The way forward includes increasing storage through the construction of dams, introducing a groundwater regulatory framework and controlling population growth. Hence, Pakistan needs to change its priorities and coupled with political will, the water crisis can be avoided altogether,” he said.
Organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, participants of the seminar were told that according to the four major international indicators on water scarcity, every Pakistani will suffer absolute water scarcity by 2025.
