EDITORIAL: Water scarcity and mismanagement of water resources has increasingly become a critical global issue, exacerbating environmental challenges, hindering development and amplifying the effects of climate change, especially when it comes to growing desertification and the higher frequency of droughts occurring in many parts of the world.
With almost 70 percent of Pakistan’s land area consisting of arid and semi-arid regions, and a significant 30 percent of the population is directly impacted by drought-like conditions, these pressures are especially profound for vulnerable nations like ours.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif focused on these issues in some detail on December 3 at the One Water Summit being held on the margins of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in Riyadh, where he underscored the increased vulnerability of the country’s rivers, glaciers and aquifers to the impact of climate change, while also pointing to the strain placed on water resources by a galloping population growth rate.
To compound an already dire situation, the calamitous floods of 2022 inflicted severe damage on Pakistan’s water resources and irrigation infrastructure, disrupting the well-being and economic stability of millions of people. The country is still grappling with the aftermath of this destruction and is engaged in to fully recoup and rebuild its damaged systems.
It is pertinent to note that what Pakistan is going through is no different from the water crises prevalent in many other parts of the world. According to a report released earlier in the year by the World Meteorological Organisation, 2023 was recorded as the driest year for rivers in over three decades, with hydrological cycles becoming increasingly unpredictable, causing disastrous floods in some regions, while others had to contend with challenges related to desertification.
And it is not just developing nations that are grappling with the result of this upending of natural environmental cycles as richer nations have proved to be equally susceptible. To emphasise the direness and the unprecedented scale it may be noted that as of November 5, this year; 49 of the 50 US states were recorded to have some level of drought, according to US government data.
With the UN now warning that global costs associated with drought run to over $300 billion annually, it is imperative that urgent measures are taken to address water scarcity issues. Global action that considers all aspects of water use, including conservation, treatment and distribution to ensure holistic and sustainable management of water resources has to become a critical priority.
Furthermore, investments in wastewater treatment, rainwater harvesting and desalination technologies must be harnessed to enhance water availability and reduce reliance on freshwater, thereby improving resilience to water scarcity.
Moreover, there must also be increased focus on modernisation of irrigation techniques and agricultural technologies that reduce water wastage and optimise water use in farming.
This is especially significant in the Pakistani context as irrigation practices in the country have for long overly relied on glacial melt water and unsustainable groundwater extraction, which is now jeopardising the future of the Indus Basin, endangering millions of livelihoods and threatening the survival of an entire ecosystem.
Ultimately, all these measures must be underpinned by two fundamental pillars: protection of natural ecosystems, like wetlands and forests, and international cooperation that focuses on sharing of water resources, exchanging knowledge and technologies for effective water management, and providing vulnerable nations with the requisite financial resources to implement sustainable water management practices.
Water scarcity has evolved into one of the most defining crises of our time, reshaping ecosystems, threatening livelihoods and challenging the very foundations of sustainable development for future generations. It is imperative, therefore, that the world acts now to protect and preserve this vital resource before the impacts of water scarcity become irreversible.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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