Government urged to speed up efforts to build water reservoirs

The government should accelerate its efforts for constructing new water reservoirs and dams on emergency basis to avert the looming water crisis which could put heavy brakes on economic growth. Water shortage issue has not been given the level of attention it needs and if appropriate steps were not taken, the country could face a water and food crisis, Shahid Naseem Khokhar, President of Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), said in a statement issued here on Saturday.
He said that apart from human consumption and agriculture, water was also essential for power generation. He said that Pakistan has the potential to generate as much as 50,000 mw of hydroelectric power, more than twice its total current generating capacity of about 20,000 mw, from all sources.
The MCCI President said that high power tariff, being a heavy burden on both businesses and consumers, could be reduced by utilising the available water resources more efficiently as water is the most viable and cheapest way to produce electricity. He said that Pakistan's electricity demand was increasing by 7 percent annually and allocation of Rs 18 billion in the budget for 2011-12 for new dams and water reservoirs was insufficient. Construction of new water reservoirs and dams assumes additional significance to overcome the rising water shortages problem, he added. Pakistan is blessed with abandoned water resources, with water flowing down the Himalayas and Karakorum heights, from the world's largest glaciers which started melting in summers and results in floods.
Therefore, the government should construct water reservoirs to save water being wasted, he said. Shahid said that 60 percent of rain comes during the monsoon season but due to unavailability of water reservoirs, this huge flow of water could not be saved.
The MCCI President said that per capita availability of water in Pakistan was gradually dwindling and our country was fast moving from being a water stressed country to a water scarce country. Thus there was a dire need to safe enough water by adopting latest technology, which makes better and efficient use of water resources, he emphasised.