Economic thinkers are now diverting their thoughts out of the box. Conventional wisdom is evolving towards greater sustainability for economic progress, and an environment-friendly approach could be useful in inculcating that.
These were the thoughts of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in their report entitled "Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication".
Interestingly, the report is not centric to developed countries alone, and addresses the challenges of developing countries too, where nearly 90 percent of the GDP of the poverty-stricken is related to natural resources.
Discussions pertaining to effective water management in the report are quite pertinent to Pakistan where problems of inadequate potable water and pitiable sewerage services abound. Around 33 percent of rural inhabitants have no toilet, while only 35 percent of the population has access to piped water.
Michael Kugelman, an Asia analyst at the Woodrow Wilson International Center - a Washington-based institution engaged in the study of US and world affairs - warned that Pakistan could face severe water shortages in 25 years, and that the havoc wreaked after the floods was a stark indication of water mismanagement in the country.
The destructive floods of 2010 opened up the problem of poor sanitation and sewerage even more as nearly non-existent wastewater disposal systems, standing pools of dirty water, and the lack of potable water exposed the affected to a multitude of health problems and water-borne diseases.
Primitive irrigation practices also play their part in bringing water mismanagement to light. Pakistan consumes 75 percent of its water resources versus 34 percent in India., putting further pressure on the already-scant water resources.
And ripple effects of inefficient water usage are evident on food production as well, since waterlogged and silted croplands are not of much help for better harvests.
Moving on to problems of overabundance of water (read floods), tardy implementation of maintenance-oriented infrastructural investment in dams was a key cause of the massive post-flood destruction.
Many experts believe that had embankments and dams been constructed properly, the chaotic damage to the countrys economy and to the lives of millions of people could have been averted.
UNEP stresses the need for countries all over the world to focus on improving water supply and efficiency. Pakistan should pay heed to the suggested steps such as proper allocation and distribution systems for water usage and institutional support to encourage better use of water in agriculture practices.
Indias National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2006 - a livelihood security scheme for Indias rural poor - has been vehemently commended by the UNEP. The scheme offers 100 days of paid work to every household that volunteers an adult member for public works, and has benefited 59 million households already.
Eighty-four percent of the investment in this scheme goes into water conservation, irrigation and land development - a clear message, indeed, from the neighbour many Pakistanis unabashedly abhor.
The solutions do not have to be very cost-intensive; it begins with efficient usage and better management of natural resources, and being proactive in taking actual steps. Acting after the damage has been done cannot work for very long.
Comments
Comments are closed.