Thomas Fuller wrote in his compilation of proverbs “Gnomologia” that we never know the worth of water until the well is dry. It’s a sad on the part of humans to ignore the importance of our natural resources, using them to the point of threatening its existence. When it comes to water, we cannot afford to do this. The famous Anglo-American poet W.H. Auden is wonderfully put it by saying, “Thousands have lived without love, no one without water”. Water affects all facets of life and without water the existence of life on earth would end. It is a bitter truth that water supplies are depleting at an alarming rate.
The world’s population continues to soar but that rise in numbers has not been matched by an accompanying increase in supplies of fresh water. With the daily water needs of 7.4 billion people on this planet to be met, it is imperative that our personal decisions, our government policies and the corporations in our communities all focus on the future of water for everyone.
The consequences of the modern water crisis are proving to be profound. It is not limited to a single region or even a continent, it is global. Recent reports reveal huge areas of residential and commercial properties made uninhabitable as reservoirs and aquifers dry up. There are more than one billion individuals on earth who currently lack access to safe drinking water. This number is so large it is equal to the entire Muslim population of the planet. This is an immense humanitarian crisis across every country as seen in reports of the Brazilian city, São Paulo that was hit by a severe drought which became so extreme that residents began drilling through basement floors in desperation.
In the Middle East, swaths of countryside have been reduced to desert because of overuse and misuse of water combined with the natural conditions. The United Arab Emirates has started investing in desalination plants and waste water treatment because it lacks fresh water and is looking for ways to maximize what is already in circulation. Last year the crown prince admitted that water is now more important than oil for the UAE. There has been a similar situation in Iran where heavy over-consumption, coupled with poor rainfall, have ravaged its water resources and devastated its agricultural output and increasing national dependence on imported foods.
In January this year, scientists downloaded fresh data from a pair of NASA satellites and distributed the findings among the small group of researchers who track the world’s water reserves. The data revealed that California is on the verge of an epic drought, with backup systems of groundwater reserves so depleted that the losses could be picked up by satellites orbiting 400km above the Earth’s surface. That same day, California Governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency and appealed to Californians to cut their water use by 20%.
Pakistan is no exception to this water crisis. The urgency to deal with Pakistan’s future water needs is growing. The direct impact on the country’s population, the economic growth, and the political stability has made it clear that the issue may be an even greater threat to Pakistan than militancy. Some figures show that at least 24% to 33% of Pakistan’s population lacks access to safe drinking water. The Asian development bank has already declared Pakistan as a water-stressed country.
In Pakistan only 1,000 cubic meters of water are available per person per year, as compared to 5,000 cubic meters in 1947. By 2020, water availability will further reduce to less than 500 cubic meters per capita per year, making Pakistan water-scarce. The amount of water Pakistan has stored for emergency purposes only lasts 30 days, compared to the international standard of 120 days and the recommended standard of 1,000 days for countries with similar climates.
Pakistan’s water crisis has been exacerbated by climate change, the prioritization of agriculture, under-priced water, poor management and a lack of political will to change the status quo. Because of climate change in the Himalayas, there has been a decrease in river flows and a drying up of the Indus River system which has been Pakistan’s main source of freshwater. The shrinking Indus Delta has made the remaining water too salinized and polluted to be used for drinking or agriculture.
Currently in Pakistan, ninety percent of the water resources are dedicated to agriculture, leaving only ten percent for drinking and sanitation. In the past few decades, Pakistan has seen a move toward large-scale farmers producing high-value crops that supposedly create more jobs per unit of land and water. As a result, most of the country’s major crops are water-intensive, such as sugar cane and rice, and further aggravate the country’s water problems.
Often over looked is that cultivating water-intensive crops is only profitable if water is plentiful and therefore less expensive. The majority of Pakistan’s farmland is currently irrigated through a canal system which according to the International Monetary Fund is vastly underpriced, recovering only one fourth of its annual operating and maintenance costs. The IMF recently warned that water scarcity poses a threat to the entire Pakistani economy, since agriculture remains an economic cornerstone that supports twenty five percent of the Gross Domestic Profit growth.
In addition to the emphasis on agriculture and poor management, rampant corruption also contributes to the country’s water woes. Of the 145 water hydrants in Karachi, 129 are illegal. Pakistan’s “Water Mafia” relies on these illegal hydrants and sells water at extortionate rates. With the help of local politicians and officials, the mafia creates an artificial demand for water by cutting government and private supplies. In a situation like this, there is little the residents can do to protect themselves from these criminal’s activities.
Water scarcity has not only intensified tensions between ethnicities and provinces but also with neighboring countries. Pakistan raised concerns over the design of the Baghliar and Kishanganga Dam but International Court of Arbitration rejected Pakistan’s objections and maintained India’s right to divert water from the Kishanganga River to generate power. This has made it more urgent than ever for Pakistan to focus on building its own water reservoirs. Some of the controversial options like Kala Bagh Dam are more or less a dead issue now but there are several other locations where we can build such reservoirs.
Having a water reserve is not enough; we must also create an effective system of water management untainted by the corruption of the past. The basic maintenance of the currant water system must be brought to higher standards, losses due to seepage, infiltration and cracks in old systems must be reduced through lining the canals. Government should make laws regarding water conservation not just for the residents but the corporations as well, and enforce them consistently.
More than anything people should be educated on the importance of water in our world and how to conserve and protect our water for the future. We cannot consider our children’s education in science or the world to be complete if they don’t have a basic education in how to not just survive on this planet but thrive. Our future business leaders and political leaders of must learn to use the resources we have wisely and efficiently so we can all have a strong and healthy future.
