Bi-annual Review Meeting Young Media Fellowship WaterAid- Pakistan Jan-June 2012 ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN

2. Targets set; Targets achieved
Targets Set Targets Achieved
Feature Stories o3 Feature Stories 07
Investigative feature stories o1 Investigative stories 04
Fields Visits Field Visits
Flood-hit districts in Sindh Sukkur, Thatta, Badin, Karachi (Sindh)
Southern Desert district in Punjab Bahawalpur, Kasur, Multan, Lahore, She
(Bahawalpur) ikhupura (Punjab)
Total 11 Stories

3. This Quarter
I highlighted in my stories…
 Climate Change impact on country’s water resources; Its mounting
pressure on Wash sector;
 Availability of contaminated water to the people, particularly the poor,
increases their living costs;
 Lowers their income earning potential, damages their well-being and
make life riskier.
 Depleting water resources deepens mal-nutrition
 Education and WASH
 Development spending and WASH sector
 Prioritising WASH in Budget 2012-13

4. Continues…
 Post 2011 flood Wash Situation in Sindh’s affected districts.
 Some 13 out of 23 districts of Sindh were affected by rain-
induced devastating floodwater, with over 5 million
displaced.
 Highlighted poor response to $357 million UN’s request to
tackle emergency situation including water, sanitation,
healthcare needs.
 Acute shortages of food, water, shelter and sanitation
have further weakened people’s - particularly pregnant
women and children’s - resistance to diseases.

5. http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/bl
ogs/2012/02/fighting-poverty-
and-unemployment-in-sindh/

6. From the Report…
“Enhance Livelihood, Reduce Poverty” programme launched in
third week of January 2012 in Thatta district’s Ghorabari taluka
by the Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment
(SCOPE).
Experts highlighted: Rising food prices, poor health facilities,
rise in water-borne diseases caused by contaminated drinking
water and bad sanitation, among other factors, have aggravated
the state of poverty in the resource-rich Sindh.
Riaz Hussain Sherazi, noted political leader: Livelihood
development programmes in Sindh’s poverty-hit districts are
need of the hour to fight poverty, unemployment.
Poverty is major cause of bad health and education facilities.

7. http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2012/0
2/%E2%80%98early-recovery-
framework%E2%80%99-for-
pakistan%E2%80%99s-flood-victims/

8. From the Report…
1. Post 6-month relief phase launched in areas ruined by 2011 floods has concluded.
2.
3. Govt. in support with UN launched $440 million ‘Early Recovery Framework’
4.
5. Aims: Restoration of livelihoods, and support for food security, basic social
services, shelter, community infrastructure, health, nutrition, water and
sanitation.
6.
7. 2011 floods that set off early August affected over 5 million people, rendered 1.8
million homeless and destroyed standing crops over 2.2 million acres worth $2
billion.
8.
9. Around 1.2 million victims of Balochistan, Sindh were ready to return, multi-
million dollar Early Recovery Phase was must for post-relief ‘rehablitation
activitis’.
10.
11. The Recovery Framework pressed for the restoration of basic social services
(health, education and protection, WASH, nutrition, shelter and community
infrastructure through participatory community-based approaches.

9. http://www
.dailytimes.
com.pk/def
ault.asp?pa
ge=2012%5
C03%5C27
%5Cstory_2
7-3-
2012_pg3_4

10. From the Report….
The feature was in context of the World Water Day…marked on
March 22
Water and food security: Theme of this year.
Water is key to food security. Meeting mounting food needs of the
burgeoning population increasingly depends on efficient use of
water.
Awareness-raising among all stakeholders for prudent use critical.
Policies for better use of groundwater storage for enhanced water
availability for different users.

11. http://www.trust.org/
alertnet/blogs/climate
-conversations/how-
can-pakistan-ensure-
water-security/

12. From the Report…
UN Water: “Food security: Access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs for
active, healthy life.
Water: Key factor to food security.
Climate change: A grave threat to rapidly depleting freshwater resources.
Water availability per capital in Pakistan at below 1,100 cubic meters a year, down from 5,500
meters a year in 1950, according to government reports.
Causes: Unsustainable mining of underground water, inadequate application of water-efficient
technologies, lack of awareness among domestic consumers, intrusion of salinity into the ground
water, contamination of underground water with harmful chemicals, polluting of subsoil water by
unsafe disposal of urban and industrial waste.
CLIMATE IMPACTS IN WATER
Rainfall is erratic, uneven and unpredictable.
Soultion…
Climate change mitigation adaptation initiatives integrated into water-resource management
programmes.
Boost understanding… about efficient water use
Abdul Hafeez, at WaterAid-Pakistan: institutional and governance reforms to strike a balance
between demand and supply.
Planners and policymakers, in collaboration with non-government organizations, need to develop
their knowledge and skills and those of water users to understand and prepare for the new challenges.

15. From the Report….
In this article….
1. Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) findings about
contaminated of the Keenjhar Lake water to dangerous level highlighted.
2. Report’s findings: Every major city has reported unsafe drinking water.
3.
4. None of the water sources tested and analysed in Hyderabad, Karachi, Sukkur, Quetta,
Bahawalpur, Kasur, Multan, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Ziarat was safe for drinking
purposes.
1. All of the 22 surface water bodies evaluated in the report have been found to be
contaminated with colioforms, E. Coli, with high level of turbidity, concentrations of
irons and fluoride.
2. Unchecked dumping of untreated sewage, industrial and agriculture waste…Key
causes.
3. Soaring level of pollution in Ravi River highlighted…that causing water-borne diseases
among peoples, livestock.
4. Inadequate coverage of water issues in mainstream media discussed.

16. http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/bl
ogs/2012/05/save-h20-or-else/

17. From the Report…
During recent visit to flood-hit areas in Southern Sindh
districts, most of which rely on Keenjhar Lake for drinking
water, farming and other purposes, the people and
representatives of local NGOs and doctors at both government
and private health facilities in these district complained that
over last several years there has been steep rise in water-
borne cases being reported from Thatta, Badin and other
adjoining districts.
Similar complaints have been also echoed from country’s
biggest metropolis of Karachi, whose over 90 percent water
needs are met from Keenjhar Lake. But authorities
concerned and responsible for controlling pollution in the Lake
and other water bodies of the Sindh province have been seen
doing little to address the issue of mounting water
contamination.

18. http://www.pakistantoday.c
om.pk/2012/05/17/epaper/p
akistantoday/epaper-
lahore/17th-may-2012-4/

19. From the report…
Inadequate budgetary spending on education sector and
its bad impacts on infrastructure
While major chunk of allocations goes to administrative
side, little is left for provision of basic facilities: proper
drinking water and sanitation facilities.
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) Study: nearly 92
per cent of the 154 government girls’ primary schools in 84
monitored districts of the country are without cleaners
while 51 per cent have no clean drinking water facilities.

20. http://www.trust.org/alert
net/blogs/climate-
conversations/malnutritio
n-increases-on-the-
horizon-in-south-asia/

21. From the Reporter….
Climate change and rising temperatures have now badly disturbed
food production patterns…. and have deepened food insecurity.
Malnutrition is particularly increasing in the countries like
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and India… because of the impacts of
climate change.
Droughts and water scarcity can reduce the diversity of diets and
bring down overall food consumption, worsening malnutrition.
Flooding, sea level rise and worsening storm surges could
expose more people to diarrhoea and other diseases, lowering
their capacity to use food efficiently.

23. From the report…
1. Budget 2012-13: Prioritising development spending
2.
3. Improved state of human development must for durable socio-economic development.
4.
5. This is unachievable without adequate spending on housing, health, education, safe drinking water and
sanitation infrastructure.
1. Economic managers urged to set development priorities right and ensure realignment of the available
resources for meeting the development challenges.
Pakistan spends not more than 0.37 percent on water and sanitation annually.
2.
3. Ramifications of inadequate spending on development sectors: mounting poverty, malnutrition, health
diseases, unemployment, slow industrialisation, persisting irregularities in agriculture sector and
widening rural-urban divide.
4.
5. World Human Development Index 2011: Pakistan in the low human development category, positioned at
145 out of 187 countries.
6. Overall socio-economic benefits from investing in water and sanitation are arguably large and diverse.
7. Provision of water supply, sanitation and wastewater services generates substantial benefits for public
health, the economy and the environment.
8. Benefit-to-cost ratios have been reported to be as high as 7 to 1 for basic water and sanitation services in
developing countries.
9. Over 10 percent of diseases burden avoidable with improvements to WASH services

25. http://e.the
news.com.p
k/6-24-
2012/nos_p
age5.asp
http://jan
g.com.pk/
thenews/j
un2012-
weekly/no
s-24-06-
2012/pol1.
htm#5

26. From the Report…
1. Asia’s fast growing city — Karachi, lays in disaster zone and given its feeble
infrastructure, particularly in coastal areas, has further increased its vulnerability
towards natural disasters.
2. Breakdown of essential services like electricity and water can further aggravate the
humanitarian impact of the disaster.
3. City’s existing infrastructures, including high-rise commercial and residential buildings,
hospitals, schools, water supply and drainage network, and unsustainable land-use
patterns are much likely to suffer of enormous proportions… should any disaster strikes.
4. During recent visit to some coastal areas in Karachi, the scribe found most of the
infrastructure including water supply network, sanitation system, sewerage and
wastewater disposal system like in other parts of the city is in a dismal state.
No lessons learnt…
1. 14 cyclones, four of them ferocious, were recorded between 1971 and 2001 in coastal areas
of Sindh and Balochistan.
2. The city’s planners and managers hardly seem to have learnt lessons.
3. Environmental experts press on need for investment in disaster risk mitigation and
adaptation programmes.

27. http://pakobserver.net/det
ailnews.asp?id=162123
27 Jun 2012

28. From the Report….
1. Rs 181 billion Sindh Development budget for FY 2012-13 was analysed from WASH Perspective.
2. Poor uplift budget spending during 2011-12 and its impacton Wash Sector Reviewed.
3. For instance… only 54 per cent (Rs59.94 billion) could be spent against release of Rs 92 million.
4. Rs111 billion were earmarked for FY 2011-12 for Sindh Dev Budget
5. the Sindh government had put aside an amount of Rs111 for annual development plan for fiscal year
2011-12. But only 54 per cent (Rs59.94 billion) could be spent against release of Rs 92 million.
6. Poor uplift spending proved damaging infrastructure development, health, education, safe
water and sanitation sectors, which are already in bad shape.
7. Lack of capacity: Cause of poor spending
8. Over 80 % without access to clean drinking water
9. Over 70 % lack access to safe sanitation
10. Proposed suggestions: Timely utilisation of dev budget in transparent manner ‘must’
11. Proper and fair monitoring of the spending and works is equally important.