Water crisis in Pakistan
(M. Salman karim, karachi)
Water crisis is one of the biggest issues of Pakistan. Pakistan is at the 17th position in the list of the countries, which are facing water crisis. Some people do not have water to drink and they are compelled to drink unsafe water, which is full of darts. These small dangerous bacteria make the people sick and it is more painful to say that if some people in Pakistan have a small amount of water they start wasting it; they do not bother to save water for the poor.
In Pakistan, people are dependent upon rains and monsoon downpours when water flows down the rivers and also goes down the land surface to raise the underground water level utilised for irrigation and drinking purposes. According to Pakistan Water Partner(PWP), the total available surface water is about 153 million MAF and the total ground water reserves are approximately 24 MAF, of which a substantial part is pumped out without allowing for a natural research. The population of Pakistan will be doubled by the year 2025 and hence the consumption of the underground water will also add to the problem further aggravated by the factors of the global warming and the climate change.
Today in the modern world Pakistan is the largest contiguous irrigation system in the world. 68 MAF is potentially usable water. If the canal system is adequately repaired and maintained, sweet water availability of approximately 144 MAF and 97% is already being used in agriculture and agricultural owners demands for more and more water to grow sugar cane and rice crops.
In the monsoon season in 8% plants will be cultivated but that is without irrigation. Pakistan is expected to face shortage of 31 million acre feet MAF of water by 2025 which would pose a grave threat to Pakistan’s economy and stability. Indian plan to build a dam on Wulur lake would affect the flow of water in Pakistan. According to the media, India has ventured upon an ambitious plan worth $120 billion to divert water of the Pakistani rivers. The government should start the construction of dams and provide secure water for irrigation and domestic use.