Water Paucity in Pakistan

Water scarcity or water crisis is the lack of freshwater resources to meet the standard water demand. Two types of water scarcity have been defined: physical or economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity is where there is not enough water to meet all demands, including that needed for ecosystems to function effectively. Arid areas (for example Central and West Asia, and North Africa) often suffer from physical water scarcity.

On the other hand, economic water scarcity is caused by a lack of investment in infrastructure or technology to draw water from rivers, aquifers, or other water sources, or insufficient human capacity to satisfy the demand for water. Most of the areas in Asia are characterized by economic water scarcity. [Wikipedia]

Even in countries with adequate water resources, water scarcity is not sporadic. Although this may be due to a number of factors — collapsed infrastructure and distribution systems, contamination, conflict, or poor management of water resources — it is clear that climate change, as well as human factors, are increasingly denying children their right to safe water and sanitation. This can possibly be fixed by paying a little attention to the problem.

The per capita availability of fresh water in Pakistan has fallen below the water scarcity threshold (1,000 cubic meters), which was 3,950 cubic meters in 1961 and 1600 in 1991.

Amid the rising population and climate change, the availability of freshwater is becoming worrisome in South Asia, particularly in Pakistan, which may face absolute water scarcity by 2040, as per the IMF.

It has been reported by Al Jazeera Network that one-third of the Himalayas’ glaciers are forecast to disappear by the end of this century, threatening the supply of water to nearly two billion people across South Asia.

Disturbing signs of what can happen when people are unable to get enough water are emerging in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi. For many residents, the taps are already running dry as demand for water soars, heatwaves strike more frequently and water infrastructure is deteriorating.

Major causes of water scarcity are overuse of water, wastage of water because of irresponsible behaviour, pollution of water by industries, conflict, drought, global warming, groundwater pollution.

According to the Washington-based magazine, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has ranked Pakistan at the “third” position in the list of countries facing acute water scarcity.

In an article published in The National Interest, researcher Nasir Javaid said that about 1.8 billion people, especially those living in Asia, will face acute water scarcity by 2025.

He further suggested that Pakistan should adopt the “drip and sprinkler” irrigation technique to meet its agricultural needs and combat the water wastage ratio, which is an alarmingly high of 45 per cent.

There is a likelihood that the ongoing desolation over the water problem may turn into a thuggish protest as it did two decades ago. The situation seems to be completely out of the federal government’s control. Imran Khan-led government is now being blamed for creating an “artificial water crisis” to hurt Sindh’s agricultural economy, as per reports. However, this is just the rebuttal of the reality. The truth is that water shortages do exist in reality and should be treated as soon as possible.

However, we cannot put the entire blame on the government. There reside some responsibilities on the people of the country as well. Out of all the major factors of water scarcity in the country, there are many of those factors which can be easily eliminated by a little effort of the citizens. In fact, it would not be erroneous to say that without the cooperation of the citizens, the government can seldom do anything for the betterment of the country.

In 2018, it has been reported that the Pakistan government called both national and international Pakistanis to help fund a $14 billion project to build two dams. The goal of the dam is to help Pakistan store more water and supply Pakistan with electricity. Although several funds have been donated towards the dam, there is still a lot of money needed to complete the project.

The government needs to take weighty steps to decelerate the water crisis in Pakistan. The Pakistan Academy of Sciences said that the country needs to expand its water storage, reduce water waste, improve water productivity and develop a framework that will help with the management of surface and groundwater. Although the clock is ticking for Pakistani’s water supply, the government has started to act. Hopefully, it will be able to undo some of the damage before it is too late.