Pakistan sits at the most hazardous stages of the national water security - a stage identified by the Asian Development Bank as a harmony of some movement on the policy and legislation side but absolutely trifling level of public investment, regulation and enforcement.
Collusion, corruption and incompetence in the water storage and irrigation sector are known to all. And the euphoria of ground water resources to compensate for the surface storage and rivers has also fizzled out due to the major management issues like depletion, pollution, inadequate drainage and salinity, and lack of coordination among public agencies.
While the latest National Water Security Index by ADB has put Pakistan in the effective category for its productive use of water in agriculture, industry, and energy, there is a need to strategise water issues on a national level.
One of the biggest challenges of increasing urbanisation and industrialisation in South Asia, and not only Pakistan, is the wastewater management. Also, there is a marked inequity in access to covered water and sanitation.
A precursor for sustainable development, environmental water security is also at its lowest ebb in the country. It is not only highlighted by inept water resource development that affects water storage, productivity and conservation, but also weaker public-private support. Moreover, low resilience to water related disasters (recall the 2010 national floods) and high cost of rehabilitation erodes any gains.
Major areas for immediate action for such problems point towards a heightened need for financing and management initiatives like government spending, development of storage facilities and reservoirs, and public and social awareness. Where investments and maintenance of sanitation and hygiene in the country is imperative to improve access to water, corporatisation of utilities is yet another way to reduce some pressure on water security.
The index offers an interesting insight where the countrys better ranking on economic water security contradicts with what is generally perceived. Right now, the most excruciating issue for the country is the energy crisis, which definitely does not exist in isolation.
The lopsided generation mix (hydel: thermal ratio of 30:70) has been highlighted by Pakistan Business Council as an important indicator of poor water productivity, and an important factor in aggravating the energy tragedy. What is additionally required - out of the water sector realm - is the transformation of economic activities that harness the available natural resources.
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