Understanding value of water

Chief Justice of Pakistan Main Saqib Nisar’s warning that Pakistan may run dry by 2025 if the present conditions continue and immediate measures are not taken to solve the problems that contribute to water scarcity echoed in an inaugural session of two-day International Symposium on the theme ‘Creating a Water-Secure Pakistan’ in the dignified presence of judges of superior courts, diplomats, foreign experts, politicians and senior journalists. Following the independence of the country, Pakistani engineers with support of international experts achieved the marvels of two largest dams of that time, five barrages, seven link canals and second largest grid station of Asia after Japan. Now, Pakistan has been degraded from water abundant country to water scarce country in view of huge population growth, inadequate water storage and pitiable management mechanism. Minimum storage of fresh water of only ten percent of 145 million acre feet and only 30 day’s carryover capacity much lower than the world average makes it a water insecure country. Ground water is now being over exploited in several areas and water quality is deteriorating, which is leading to a large percentage of salt water. Large part of Pakistan has good soil, profuse sunshine and able farmers yet crop yields are much lower. The quality of water service and irrigation practices play major role, this hasn’t improved extraordinarily. The ongoing situation in Tharparkar is a case in point as adequate water measures were not adopted for the growing needs of people. Chief Justice’s intervention for initiation of Diamer Basha and Mohmand Dam projects is a turning point in our water history wherein equally focused and committed federal government support will prove dawn of a new era. Diamer–Basha Dam site is located across Indus River near Chilas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa & Gilgit- Baltistan, 315 km u/s from Tarbela Dam and about 40 Km downstream of Chilas Town. This dam of 272 meter height will provide a reservoir with live storage of 6.4 MAF water to be utilized for supplementing the irrigation water to Indus Basin; and hydropower generation of 18,097 GWh per annum with the help of hydropower plant with installed capacity of 4500 MW. Mohmand Dam site is proposed to be constructed on Swat River about 5 km upstream of Munda Head Works in tribal district, Mohmand of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This dam of 213 meter height will provide a reservoir with live storage of 0.676 MAF which will be utilized for irrigation of new command area of 16,737 acres, water supply to Peshawar, and hydropower generation of 2,864 GWh per annum with installed capacity of 800 MW also mitigating floods in Peshawar valley. We need to put water scarcity issue, so important to our life as a nation, atop our priority list.