ISLAMABAD: Experts stressed a more cautious and judicious utilisation of water, as its scarcity has become an extremely serious issue with the prevailing water shortage surging to 45 percent in the country.
Talking at a roundtable conference Khan Faraz, an environment and water sector expert stated that the latest water scarcity has compelled the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) to ask the provincial governments to plan the utilisation of the available supplies.
Though water shortage is an issue that many countries in the world have been facing, most of them have opted for efficient planning of the river system, something that appears to be lacking in Pakistan.
Quoting the UN report, he said that Pakistan is among the 23 countries in danger of facing drought and needs urgent help, notably over the next two years. Although the country has been able to rescue 200 square kilometers of land by 2015, quite obviously, a great deal still remains to be done. A number of households have benefited from the measures already carried out, with the step to combat desertification combined with better health and more facilities for people.
According to Global Climate Risk Index published by Greenwatch, Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable nations in the world when it comes to the effect of climate change over the past two decades. The global heating patterns are not helping.
The report notes that in Pakistan, most of the land is arid or semi-arid and special schemes are required to bring it under cultivation.
Faraz said that concerted efforts are needed for a more cautious and judicious utilization of water. Also, the federal government and departments have more responsibility in this matter, but provincial Irrigation departments cannot blame the federation for all the wrongs in water management. The provincial authorities – especially irrigation secretaries – must be careful in estimating rationalised indents.
The volume of water that each province requires must also consider any possible wastage that need plugging at the right time.
For mitigating the effects of climate change, especially the drought danger, the largest tree plantation campaign in the world is also the kind of plan that could work.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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