HYDERABAD, March 26 Rapidly changing climatic conditions and population growth have made it mandatory on every individual to conserve water and protect its resources as fears loom large that country may face 21 per cent shortage in about two years` time.

This was the main thrust of one-day training workshop on “Mass awareness on water conservation” organised by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources and the UNDP at the press club here on Thursday.

Project`s Regional Programme Manager Haroon Chang, Assistant Programme Manager Abdul Rehman Soomro, and Regional Director of Council Mohammad Khan Marri presented their papers.

Participants were told that out of the 77 million acres land suitable for agriculture only 54 million acres is under cultivation with rest sitting idle.

An estimated 40 to 50 per cent wastage in fields along with irrigation water seepage, over-watering of crops by growers and injudicious distribution are main causes behind its shortage, said speakers. Climatic changes are also impacting the availability of this precious commodity.

The per capita availability since the inception of Pakistan has stooped down to lowest level while the major portion of water was consumed by the agriculture sector followed by industrial with only a trickle for domestic consumption, estimated speakers.

Studies tell that there exist water rich countries where per capita availability comes to around 600,000 cubic metres while Middle Eastern zone has the lowest availability.

Climatic changes and municipal and industrial wastewater disposal in lakes, canals and rivers are two hawks depleting and polluting fresh water resources, they argued.

Rising population makes conservation more important than many would like to consider as a change in attitude may help in more than one ways. Mass awareness programmes on the pattern of the UNDP that water is not an infinite source may help in conservation process.

Knowledge sharing and dissemination of water conservation message among fellow beings, particularly growers, could and would lead to moderate consumption, opined speakers.

Speakers stressed on technical discussion of water conservation issue as decades back there was plenty of water released into the sea which now was at the lowest ebb - thanks to construction of dams and unjustified use in irrigation.

There is a yawning gap between water availability and population growth which can only be addressed by correct government policies, they said. The unlined watercourses cause 20 to 25 per cent loss to growers and as such levelling of land is given preference because uneven land consumes more water, said experts. Storage capacity of Kalabagh Dam is 6MAF which can be enhanced to 20MAF if watercourses were lined while 65 per cent can be saved through drip irrigation method.

It was revealed that in places where water availability was less, the yields were higher but an altogether different scenario faced our side of the world where water logging and salinity were eating away the resources, they said.