UNDP asks government to address water crisis

Revealing that Pakistan''s water storage capacity has receded to less than 30 days against the minimum requirement of 120 days, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has urged the government to take bold actions to address water crisis aimed at meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and guard the future development of the country. The UN agency in its report development advocate Pakistan - water security, Pakistan''s most critical development, has elaborated on Pakistan''s water and related issues along with the measurers taken so far to deal with water scarcity.
According to the agency, water associated problems are amongst the key challenges faced by Pakistan. The country''s water profile has changed drastically from being a water abundant country, to one experiencing water stress. Between 1990 and 2015, per capita water availability declined from 2,172 cubic meters per inhabitant to 1,306 cubic meters per inhabitant. Pakistan extracts 74.3 percent of its freshwater annually, thereby exerting tremendous pressure on renewable water resources.
Despite remarkable improvements in the proportion of the population using improved water sources and improved sanitation facilities, 27.2 million Pakistanis do not have access to safe water and 52.7 million do not have access to adequate sanitation facilities. The repercussions on health are severe: an approximate 39,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation.
Furthermore, with the increasing burden on water resources, threats will increase to Pakistanis'' well-being from unsafe or inadequate water supplies.
UNDP, in its report further stated that increasing demand for water and its erratic supply together are resulting in water shortages. Population growth, rapid urbanisation, water-intensive farming practices and industrialisation all contribute to Pakistan''s increasing demand for water. Simultaneously, the supply side is hampered by climatic changes that have made rainfall more erratic, leading to floods in some years and droughts in others. Excessive pumping of groundwater has raised major concerns over its sustainability. Poor water infrastructure including limited storage capacity and inadequate lining of canals further compounds the situation of water availability. Pollution of available resources mainly due to contaminated agricultural run-offs and untreated industrial and household waste being dumped in water courses is another factor leading to dwindling freshwater supplies.
Over the years, there were several attempts at both the Federal and provincial levels to delineate the government''s commitment towards combating water issues. The National Climate Change Policy, for example, has provided appropriate action plans focusing on enhancing water storage and infrastructure, better water resource management, enhancing institutional capacities and creating awareness. However, more is needed in terms of implementation. Since the commissioning of the Mangla and Tarbela dams in the 1960s and 1970s respectively, Pakistan has not developed any major water storage infrastructure. Consequently, water storage capacity has often receded to less than 30 days against the minimum requirement of 120 days. Successful initiatives do exist, such as the ''Clean Drinking Water for All'' project launched in Punjab, providing clean drinking water through the installation of water filtration plants, but major initiatives for provision of water and sanitation remain limited.
Addressing water issues requires interventions at individual and state levels, focusing on both demand and supply. At an individual level, households and industries need to use water more efficiently and judiciously. This also holds true for the agriculture sector, whereby flood irrigation and plantation of water-intensive crops should be controlled and regulated. In this regard, public education campaigns that focus on enhancing water usage awareness will be helpful. At a broader level, an integrated water management system is needed that promises efficient water distribution for all sub-sectors. This needs to be formally entrenched through an effective institutional and legal system.
According to the agency water-related issues have been discussed as part of the National Climate Change Policy and National Drinking Water Policy, a holistic national water policy is required. Water pricing to promote efficient use of water, building water storage infrastructure to store excess water, enforcing strict water quality management systems to curb water pollution, controlling population growth and adopting a sustainable pattern of urbanisation, are all major issues that require immediate attention if Pakistanis are to have access to the water they need in the future. Bold actions are needed to address this water crisis, otherwise not only will Pakistan not meet the SDGs on water, but its future development will be hampered.