By Ayesha Saba

Pakistan’s increasing vulnerability to climate change requires an urgent action to conserve and improve its water resources at the national and local levels, reports WealthPK. Deputy Director Pakistan Council of Research and Water Reservoirs (PCRWR) Miss. Saiqa Imran while talking to WealthPK said a key factor affecting the reliability of water resources worldwide is climate change, which also raises concerns about the future of water availability in Pakistan.

“Our water supply networks are under stress and we have a limited number of freshwater resources. The country relies heavily on the groundwater to meet the industrial, agricultural and domestic needs. In addition to groundwater, more than 70 percent of the drinking water is tapped from wells. Most rural households have hand pumps, motorized pumps, or manual wells to access water,” she said.

Saiqa said, “Nearly 60% of Pakistan's water is lost owing to inefficient storage systems, and actions should be taken to protect this valuable resource through a careful planning. The major issue is lack of reliable, accurate, and actionable data. There is a need for adoption of new technologies and practices for the use of drainage and wastewater. These techniques should be economized and replicated to promote the reuse of drainage and wastewater.’’

Saiqa said many organizations and authorities are taking initiatives to manage the water demand and are searching for alternative water sources like greywater and wastewater reuse, desalination, and rainwater harvesting.

“PCRWR is promoting cost-effective water, agriculture, and climate technologies across the country to improve the efficiency of water usage, and encourages various industries to contribute towards addressing Pakistan’s water challenges in agriculture, domestic and industrial sectors.”

She said the PCRWR in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan, International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres’ (CGIAR) Water Land and Ecosystem (WLE) flagship program jointly organized the Pakistan Water Week 2022 International Conference under the theme ‘Role of Water-Food-Energy and Ecosystem Nexus for a Climate Resilient Pakistan.

Pakistan Water Week 2022, the first-ever event of its kind, aims to bring together academics, government officials, NGOs, and policy experts from home and abroad to discuss the problems facing Pakistan today.

According to the Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, the world is facing a severe water scarcity issue and availability of fresh water is reducing against the increasing demand by the growing and concentrating population.

The minister emphasized the need for focusing on a range of conservation measures, such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), improving water governance, nature-based solutions, strengthening water and food security, technological innovation, and greater awareness raising for sustainable development.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk