RIYADH: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday underscored the need for strong political will, and global leadership to overcome the water crisis posing existential threat to the nations around the globe. The prime minister, addressing the One Water Summit on the Margins of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP-16) under the theme “Restore, Preserve, and Adapt” here expressed his profound gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France, and Kazakhstan, as well as the World Bank for organizing the timely summit, to deliberate upon, one of humanity’s most pressing challenges: water security.
He said that water was the lifeblood of the planet; a cornerstone of economic development, food security, and environmental sustainability.
“This life-sustaining resource, however, is coming under increasing stress. Nearly half of the world’s population is facing, water scarcity, for at least part of the year. Billions remain, without clean drinking water, as water pollution, is rising, at alarming levels,” he added.
The prime minister underlined that the water resources were fast depleting and degrading which was displacing millions, and causing, unprecedented destruction.
“This is not a distant threat, but an alarm bell, for collective action. Pakistan is no stranger to these challenges. Our rivers, glaciers and aquifers are increasingly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, and population growth,” he said.
He apprised the leaders at the summit that Pakistan was still grappling with the 2022, catastrophic floods, that caused, widespread damage, to its water resources and irrigation sector, in addition to affecting, millions of lives and livelihoods.
At the same time, he said droughts posed an equally potent threat to the country.
“Nearly 70% of our land consists of arid and semi-arid areas, and around 30% of our population, is directly affected by drought-like conditions. Projected temperature increases in Pakistan, are significantly higher, than the global average,” he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted that such catastrophic disasters and challenges were likely to scale up further in the absence of concerted international actions as it was one of the top ten countries, most vulnerable due to climate change.
Commenting on the transboundary water management, he said that water transcended political boundaries, connecting nations and fostering shared ecosystems.
“Pakistan, therefore, attaches great importance to transboundary cooperation. The Indus Water Treaty, which governs, the sharing of the Indus Basin’s waters, is one example of such an arrangement.”
He added that the treaty witnessed unprecedented challenges in the recent years, due to a number of factors, including construction of upstream dams, whereas its effective functioning was key to maintaining regional peace and stability.
The prime minister also shed light on the ‘Recharge Pakistan’ initiative that aimed to address, climate induced, flood risks, and mitigate drought impacts, through ecosystem based adaptations.
“We are also finalizing a ‘National Drought Plan’ that identifies, the most drought affected areas, and proposes, effective response mechanisms, to mitigate, the impact of drought in these areas,” he said.
The prime minister proposed a six-point agenda at the global level to overcome water-related challenges.
He advocated for the need of international cooperation and collaboration, to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”, as provided for in the SDG-6, exchange of knowledge and expertise, as well as transfer of technologies on innovative water management on priority, adequate funding for climate-resilient infrastructure, and overcoming financing gap—a critical challenge for climate vulnerable countries, frameworks for transparency, data sharing, and regional cooperation, to avoid conflicts, and promote water sharing, investment in skills development, research, and institutional strengthening, to tackle water challenges, at national and global levels and finally, a strong political will, and global leadership, to overcome the water crisis.
He commended the visionary leadership, and initiative of Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, to establish, the Global Water Organization.
“We are proud to join this initiative, as one of its founding members and look forward to providing, all possible support, in achieving its important goals,” he said.
The prime minister amid conclusion recalled the joyful scenes of children playing along the rivers that traversed his home city, Lahore, and the fisherfolk and their boats along the River Ravi.
“These cherished memories serve as a poignant reminder of what is at stake. As leaders, policymakers, and custodians of the future, it is our duty to ensure that these rivers, lakes, and aquifers that have nourished civilizations for centuries must not be reduced to tales of the past,” he emphasised.