Water: Price to pay

On most days, thousands of gallons of industrial waste, effluents and biological contaminants flow into the countrys fresh water reservoirs without raising many eyebrows. But then there are days like April 25, 2012; days when the dereliction towards this precious resource turns it from a potion of life, into a poison of morbid proportions. On that day, the inhabitants of villages on the outskirts of Badin, which line the Keenjhar Lake, awoke to the heart-wrenching sight of thousands of dead fish and other marine life floating on the surface of the largest fresh water reserve of the country.Within hours, cattle, turtles and any other life form to drink from a three-mile area of the lake lay lifeless on its shores. Preliminary investigations (no final official findings on the incident have been made public yet) pin blame on the influx of pollutants from a storm drain, which flooded due to recent hill torrents in the region. "The drain is linked to areas that have been host to increasing industrialisation in recent years. The waste from these establishments is a rising threat to the local environment", local environmentalist Ghulam Shabbir Kori told BR Research. Another contemporary, Nasir Ali Panhwar highlighted that besides being the main fresh water source to the largest city of the country, Keenjhar Lake is also "home to 55 species of fish, 263 species of terrestrial and aquatic plants, 51 species of birds and more than a hundred other types of animals". The local population is almost entirely dependent on fishing and agriculture for their livelihoods. The stakes are clearly too high, for a tragedy of this magnitude to fly under the radar, save for a couple of mentions in some newspapers on the following morning. However, the local conservationists observe government initiatives to preserve this habitat and to uphold the National Standards for Drinking Water Quality identified by Pakistan Environment Protection Agency in 2008 are woefully missing. "This water body is the joint responsibility of all stakeholders including those who benefit most from it", commented Panhwar. But, he added that the lack of political resolve, funding and responsibility has kept irrigation, tourism, environmental departments and the KWSB shy from spearheading efforts to maintain the habitat. Inadequate irrigation systems and leakages in and out of water reservoirs is a major cause of loss of potable water in not just Pakistan, but the entire Asia-Pacific region. A recent study by the Asian Development Bank found that "29 billion cubic meters of water is lost each year in the region" due to these shortcomings. The study found that up to 60 percent of fresh water in the region is lost due to leakages and contamination. However, the underlying problem in Pakistans case may still be unique and the answer is alluded to in the observations of local environmental activists. They relate that KWSB and other departments cite the lack of funds for their lack of initiative in improving waterways and reservoirs. The lack of funding is a direct consequence of improper pricing of water resources throughout the country. Until the true worth of this elixir is appreciated, its conservation will remain at best, sporadic and ineffective.