KARACHI: Growing water shortage is a serious threat to our agricultural-based economy and improving our outdated irrigation system is a must for saving the national economy, said Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor here Sunday.

He said the country is facing huge water shortages and it is now being counted amongst the water-deficient nations of the world. He said we have become a net importer of food. He said vast lands could not be cultivated due to shortage of water. He said in this grim scenario it is a must to construct more dams and water reservoirs.

He said the countries like China and India are constructing thousands of new dams and canals but we in Pakistan are not moving ahead in this direction. He said new check-dams and flood canals should be erected in every province of the country and all lingering dam and canal projects should be expedited to ensure better availability of water.

He said a third-party telemetry audit system must be introduced to ensure a just distribution of water amongst the provinces. He said cement-linings of old canals should be carried out to save water. He said wastage of water must be stopped at all costs and every drop of it should be utilized properly.

Altaf Shakoor said for this purpose it is necessary to make drip irrigation mandatory in the country instead of the present flood-farming culture. He said that rainwater harvesting is necessary for saving water.

He said new artificial lakes should be dug up in desert areas to save rain water. He said desalination of salty water could boost our agriculture besides introducing the culture of saline water crops. He said many countries are now turning to saline water crops to boost their agriculture.

He demanded that a National Water Council should be made on the pattern of SIFC to ensure construction of new dams and canals in every nook and corner of the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024