KARACHI: Scientists and policy makers have warned that Pakistan may face an alarming water scarcity in the next two to three years if effective measures are not taken now to tackle depleting resources.

Addressing a conference held on Tuesday, they said the situation posed a serious threat to the country’s development and economic growth. There was an urgent need to put systems in place to curb water mismanagement, contamination and poor agricultural practices as agriculture consumed more than 96 per cent of freshwater resources, they added.

The event titled “Climate Change and Water-related Challenges in Pakistan: Tangible Solutions” was organised by the Aga Khan University’s Institute for Global Health and Development (IGHD) and United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

The two-day conference brought together national and global experts and climate change officials from the provincial and federal government to share their evidence-based views on ways to achieve water safety and security, and population health.

Poor agricultural practices, mismanagement causing major water losses

In his keynote address, Dr James Wescoat, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, spoke about climate change and critical water problems in the Indus Basin of Pakistan.

He feared that flooding and drainage problems would get worse by 2050, especially in the lower Indus basin.

“We must support bold and pragmatic approaches to reconstruction, including water and climate research networks and Indus basin models with health and well-being at the core,” he stated.

In her speech, Prof Dr Nausheen H Anwar, director at the Karachi Urban Lab, said Pakistan’s water crisis was primarily caused by rapid population growth, climate change, poor agricultural sector practices, mismanagement, inefficient infrastructure and pollution.

“Water plays a critical role in thermoregulation. Open water can decrease the air temperature by evaporation, absorption of heat, and transport of heat. Pakistan needs resilient cooling pathways along with sustainable energy initiatives in the face of rising temperature and extreme heat waves.”

The speakers also cited the World Resources Institute’ stats according to which Pakistan ranked 14th among the 17 ‘extremely high baseline water stress’ countries of the world.

However, they pointed out, water stress was just one dimension of water security. Like any challenge, its outlook depended on management. Some of the most arid and water-stressed countries, including Saudi Arabia and Namibia, had effectively secured their water supplies through proper management, they said.

In his introductory remarks, Dr Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, distinguished university professor and founding director of the IGHD at the AKU, explained the nexus of water security and nutrition in Pakistan and that one could not be managed without sustaining the other.

“Water is an equal threat as nutrition to the development of the country. By 2016, there were only 1,000 cubic metres of water left for each person in Pakistan – which is the borderline requirement,” Prof Bhutta noted.

The health and nutrition consequences of the large-scale devastation caused by a recent episode of floods were unfortunate examples and call for urgent and collaborative action at all governance and policy levels, he noted.

The speakers shared that more than 96 per cent of the country’s freshwater was used for agriculture, a sector which constituted nearly 23 per cent of its GDP in 2021. Nevertheless, Pakistan continued to depend on a single river system and unreliable water infrastructure, they added.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2022