ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Thursday warned water resources are depleting at a rapid pace posing a great threat not only to food security and industry, but also to juvenile peace with India.
Apart from water scarcity, Pakistan is facing a serious problem of explosive population growth, destroying almost all sorts of economic planning while no government has taken this issue seriously, it said.
A growing population and poor planning have together led to the depletion of the country’s resources, said PEW Chairman retired Brig. Aslam Khan.
He said the per capita availability of water in the country has decreased in the last seven decades to 935 cubic metres from 5,260 cubic metres which is a very alarming level.
Khan said if the government fails to formulate an effective conservation strategy now, the per capita availability would decrease to 860 cubic metres by 2025 and even down to 500 cubic metres by 2040.
He noted that climate change is also causing extreme rainfall in some areas where there is almost no capacity for water storage.
Pakistan has only 30-day water storage in its dams. Apart from this, 49 per cent of losses are due to leakage, seepage, theft, evaporation, agriculture and industries but all the governments have preferred to ignore this important sector.
A recent World Bank report says only four crops, rice, wheat, sugarcane and cotton consume 80pc water and contribute only five percent to the GDP. It shows the agriculture sector offers one of the poorest water management.
The government needs to wake up and realise the gravity of this issue before the country runs completely dry to become a desert, he warned.
The government must take appropriate steps like building multipurpose dams, strengthening existing reservoirs, formulation of trustworthy and clear cut policies that ensure proper distribution of water and stop water losses, he said.
