Government focusing on new water projects, says Punjab governor

The present government is focusing on new water projects as storage capacity of Mangala and Tarbala dams has decreased 26 percent from 15MFA to 11MFA. This was stated by Governor Punjab Sardar Latif Khan Khosa while addressing a seminar on "Water for Cities" organised by University of the Agriculture Faisalabad in connection with the World Water Day at its New Senate Hall here on Saturday.
Former Wapda Chairman Shams-ul-Mulk Khan, Minfal Secretary Junaid Iqbal, Hubei University Professor Dr Li Zhaohua, Extension Agricultural Engineer at Texas A&M University, USA Dr Saqib Mukhtar and Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority GM Karamat Ali spoke on the occasion.
The governor said that half of world would face water scarcity in the next twenty years. He said that education, energy environment empowerment and employment were the top priority of his party manifesto and the government was committed to providing relief to the public by taking tangible steps in this regard.
He quoted the example of China who converted the wastewater into portable water by using water treatment and hoped Pakistan would learn from the China's experiences.
He said that Pakistan has been declared as water scared country with low per capita water availability which declined from 5260 cubic litter in 1951 to 1038 cubic litre in 2011 and further negligence would worsen the situation.
He said that Pakistan is blessed with countless bounties with the run of river irrigation system coupled with fertile land, and canal system helping the agriculture to flourish. He lauded the efforts of the university on the horizon of agriculture and education and hoped the university would continue serving the masses with the same spirit.
Engineer Shams-ul-Mulk stressed the need to construct big dams particularly Kala Bagh Dam to conserve the water as Pakistan is already in the red zone in this regard. He said that electricity being produced from hydral costs Rs 1.2 per unit, electricity being generated from gas costs Rs 5.47 per unit, from oil it (power) costs 12.04 per unit and power produced from oil costs Rs 5 per unit. He said by constructing of Kalabagh Dam, the country could produce cheapest electricity costing Re 1 per unit so that we can save billions of rupees that are more than Kerry Lugar assistance. He said that there is need to sensitising the masses about water scarcity otherwise we will come under trouble adding that in this regard university can play a pivotal role.
Junaid Iqbal Secretary Minfal, said water scarcity is a big challenge of this era. The country is fighting various crises, including power shortage, gas deficit, rising prices of products. He said that the water resource management is vital to meet the water challenges. He said that our agricultural land is shrinking with each passing day because of urbanisation and industry.
UAF VC Professor Dr Iqrar A Khan, in his welcome address stressed the need to conserve water to cope with challenges. The university has produced as many as 850 PhD scholars, he said, adding that the university will produce the same numbers of PhDs only in next ten years. He said that the golden jubilee events are being organised to bridge the gap among university, scholars and farmers and they are getting feedback from the farmers community. He said that the scientists and scholars from eight counties are participating in the events.
Dr Li Zhaohua, School of Resources and Environmental Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China said that the China is the world's most populous country and the fourth largest in area. China's economy, already the second huge following USA and is growing at the fastest rate of any major nation. He said China has been facing increasingly severe water scarcity (1/4 global average level per person) and predicted that the most critical resource in China will be fresh water in the next decades. He said that in China, 50 percent of 700 major rivers have been polluted while 78 percent of city rivers were no longer being drinkable and 85 percent of lakes are eutrophied.
Dr Saqib Mukhtar said that the Pakistan Total Water Withdrawal in 2008 is 133 billion Gal/day (183421 million m3/year), 752 Gal/person/day and Irrigation and Livestock consumes about 94 percent, municipalities 5.2 percent and Industry gets about 8 percent water.
He informed the audience about the manure ally flushed. He said that technical and financial assistance to the Bosque River watershed dairies between 2001-2005 have resulted in a reduction of soluble Phosphorus by 16 to 25 percent in the North Bosque River.
Karamat while talking about sanitation said that improved sanitation facilities are available "only to 58 percent population" (90 percent in urban areas and 30 percent in rural) in Pakistan.
He said that the sanitary facilities are highest in major cities (98 percent to 92 percent) and substantially reduces in rural areas (42 percent). Twenty Districts of Punjab have lesser than 58 percent sanitation coverage with 8 Districts fall below 40 percent coverage line.
Referring to latest MICS survey, he said that as many as 45 percent of all households do not have access to latrines, likewise 51 percent households are not connected to any form of sewerage system; (35 percent to open drains and 16 percent to underground septic tanks or open drains), he added. He said that 30-40 percent hospital beds are occupied by the patients suffered from water and sanitation diseases. Dean Faculty of Agri. Engineering & Technology Professor Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad extended vote of thanks.
The governor also inaugurated the new building of National Institute of Food Science & Technology and inspected stalls set up in Agri. Exhibition and later he witnessed the nationals competitions of tent pegging.