A report issued by the Hisaar Foundation has called for extending irrigation system to arid districts of Pakistan, creating new storages and enhancing existing storages at different levels. The policy framework also calls for improvement in water efficiency by 10 percent. The report on Pakistan's national water policy framework was launched at the Lahore University of Management Sciences on Thursday. The recommendations are part of the first report of Hisaar Foundation's think tank on rational use of water.
The recommendations focus on five main areas for further action. These include improving water access for the poor and landless, financing the urban and rural water value chain, safeguarding the Indus Basin and its infrastructure, improving water institutions and their management and governance, and finally building a base for science, technology and social aspects of water. The report also calls for increasing productivity in agriculture.
The policy framework recommends preserving, repairing and maintaining the existing water infrastructure. It also calls for a reversal in Abiyana to realise the true value of water. The policy framework calls for control in groundwater withdrawals as well as generation of additional indigenous hydropower. It emphasises increased co-ordination between water, agriculture, and industry for maximum benefits besides making investment in water infrastructure and hydropower a core part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.