Institutional capacity of Wapda: Water experts endorse Islamabad declaration

Water experts have seconded the Islamabad declaration of the Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan under the auspices of Supreme Court of Pakistan, stressing on strengthening institutional capacity of WAPDA being the main water stakeholder for urgent development of dams and reservoirs on the model of Indus Basin Replacement Works.
While acknowledging the importance of water as a sine qua non for the realization of the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 9 of the Constitution and the dire need for water security in Pakistan, the declaration has deeply concerned that Pakistan is now facing a water crises. As per the National Water Policy of Pakistan, the country's per capita surface water availability has declined from 5,260 cubic meters per year in 1951 to approximately 1,000 cubic meters in 2016. According to the World Resources Institute, Pakistan is at number 23 out of top 33 water-stressed countries in 2040 and the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources has opined that Pakistan may run dry by 2025 if the present conditions continue.
The water experts are of the view that WAPDA has to lead from the front so far as achievement of landmark hydel projects is concerned. They said a strong realization on the part of the policymakers towards strengthening WAPDA and do away with its institutional capacity is a right time step taken in the right direction.
It may be noted that WAPDA had been separated from the power sector in the early 1990s under a strategic plan for restructuring the power sector on the desire of international lenders to attract private investment. The reform process was approved in phases by successive federal cabinets but the sector's problems, including shortages, continued to increase.
The experts said water is our main endowment but there is no continuity in policy directions or even an attempt to have a comprehensive appreciation of the past and future water scenarios. With help from the World Bank and USA, we created a great vehicle in 1958 to harness the potential of the Indus River basin.
It further said WAPDA was modeled on America's successful Tennessee Valley Authority, a seven states initiative of 1933 that brought USA out of the Great 1929 Recession. In 1969, WAPDA's annual budget was nearly 50 percent higher than the federal budget of the united Pakistan.