Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) Chairman Tariq Hamid on Saturday underlined the need for concerted efforts for water conservation, development of available water resources to the optimum, and adapting modern technologies for efficient irrigation techniques in view of growing shortage of this vital resource.
"Unless this is done, self-sufficiency in food, socio-economic amelioration, alleviating poverty and conservation of environment will not be possible, and eventually food shortages and even famine-like conditions may arise in the country."
He warned this while speaking at a seminar organised by Pakistan Engineering Congress in collaboration with Wapda, in connection with the water day at the Wapda House here on Saturday. Stating that political will was needed to implement water related commitments, he said: "Water professionals need a better understanding of the broader social, economic and political context, while political leaders need to be better informed about water resource issues."
Wapda chairman said that construction of mega water projects including Diamer Basha, Kalabagh Dam, Akhori Dam, Kurram Tangi Dam and Munda Dam, as announced by President Pervez Musharraf, would be completed by the year 2016, while a small Sabakzai Dam in Balochistan would be ready within this year.
He regretted that in spite of its rivers, Pakistan was facing water shortage, which affected irrigation besides causing innumerable problems for urban centres.
"Water must be conserved to the maximum, and the only solution is construction of reservoirs wherever feasible while ensuring their optimum utilisation," he observed, adding that along with its necessity in agriculture, water had a vital role in other sectors including industrial development, mining, livestock, fisheries development etc.
Tariq Hamid said that hydropower was the cheapest and environmentally the cleanest way of generating electricity. "Its abundant potential in Pakistan has to be developed on priority basis if the current trend of rising power tariff is to be reversed," he added.
He said the World Water Day called on each nation, and each one of us, to help maintain and improve the quality and quantity of fresh water available, for future generations. He said pollution of water by industrial wastes was also a grave problem that needed to be addressed, and underlined the need to create awareness about it and mobilise support for necessary action.
Pakistan Engineering Congress President Husnain Ahmad in his address of welcome said that the average available river water in the country was 143 MAF, but average utilisation was only about 103 MAF, while 40 MAF water flowed down into the sea untapped.
He said as water flowed in rivers vary seasonally, the country experienced 30 to 50 percent shortage during the period from October to March, besides April and May which was the sowing period for the Kharif crop. "If this trend continues, the country will face water shortage of 15-20 MAF by the year 2020," he said. Similarly, he added, water availability for human consumption had shrunk from 5,650 cubic meters in 1951 to 1,200 cubic meters in 2006 (close to 100 cubic meters, the benchmark of a water-short country).
While water was the cheapest source of electricity generation, regrettably the country had tapped only 10 percent of its 40,000 MW potential whereas China and India had attained 30 percent target, he observed. "We in Pakistan have shown gross indifference towards conservation of water, spreading over a period of three decades, by not constructing any major dam despite the loss of about 35-40 MAF water flowing untapped into the sea."
He appreciated the government's initiative for construction of five big dams including Diamer Basha, Kalabagh, Akhori, Kurram Tungi and Munda, which were direly needed to meet the country's requirements.
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