The document discusses ways to save water both indoors and outdoors through various conservation methods. It also discusses Pakistan's water crisis, noting that the country is facing water shortages as demand outpaces supply. Key reasons for the shortages include inefficient irrigation practices, over-pumping of groundwater, lack of investment in water infrastructure like dams, and growing competition for limited water resources from various sectors. The water crisis poses serious risks to Pakistan's agriculture, economy, food security, and human development if not adequately addressed through strategies like improved water management, infrastructure development, and conservation efforts.

1. 50 ways of water savings
Saving Water Indoors
1. Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it, such as
cleaning or watering plants.
2. Dispose of tissues, insects and other such waste in a trash container rather than in
the water tanks.
3. Take shorter showers. Replace your shower head with an ultra low-flow version.
4. Don't let water run while shaving or washing your face.
5. Brush your teeth first while waiting for water to get hot then wash or shave after
filling the basin.
6. Fit all wasteful household faucets by installing aerators with flow restrictors.
7. Operate automatic dishwashers and clothes washers only when they are fully
loaded, or properly set the water level for the size of load you are using.
8. When washing dishes by hand, fill one sink or basin with soapy water. Quickly
rinse under a slow-moving stream from the faucet.
9. Store drinking water in the refrigerator rather than letting the tap run every time
you want a cool glass of water.
10.Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods.
11.Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator or by using the defrost setting on your
microwave.
12.Kitchen sink disposals require a lot of water to operate properly. Start a compost
pile as an alternate method of disposing of food waste instead of using a garbage
disposal. Garbage disposal waste also can add 50 percent to the volume of solids
in a septic tank.
13.Consider installing an instant water heater on your kitchen sink so you don't have
to let the water run while it heats up. This will reduce heating costs for your
household.

2. 14.When watering plants, apply water only as fast as the soil can absorb it.
15.Use sprinklers that deliver big drops of water, close to the ground.
16.Insulate your water pipes. You'll get hot water faster plus avoid wasting water
while it heats up.
17.Never install a water-to-air heat pump or air-conditioning system. Newer air-to-air
models are just as efficient and do not waste water.
18.Install water-softening systems only when necessary.
19.Check your pump. If you have a well at your home, listen to see if the pump kicks
on and off while the water is not in use. If it does, you have a leak.
20.When adjusting water temperatures, instead of turning water flow up, try turning it
down.
Saving Water Outdoors
21.Don't over water your lawn. As a general rule, lawns only need watering every 5
to 7 days in the summer and every 10 to 14 days in the winter.
22.Water lawns during the early morning hours when temperatures and wind speed
are the lowest. This reduces loss from evaporation.
23.Don't water your street, driveway or sidewalk. Position your sprinklers so that
your water lands on the lawn and shrubs…not the paved areas.
24.Install sprinklers that are the most water-efficient for each use. Micro and drip
irrigation and soaker hoses are examples of water-efficient methods of irrigation.
25.Check sprinkler systems and timing devices regularly to be sure they are operating
properly.
26.Raise the lawn mower blade to at least three inches.
27.A lawn cut higher encourages grass roots to grow deeper, shades the root system
and holds soil moisture better than a closely clipped lawn.
28.Avoid over fertilizing your lawn. The application of fertilizers increases the need
for water. Apply fertilizers which contain slow-release, water-insoluble forms of
nitrogen.

3. 29.Mulch to retain moisture in the soil.
30.Plant native and/or drought-tolerant grasses, ground covers, shrubs and trees
(xeriscaping). Once established, they do not need to be watered as frequently and
they usually will survive a dry period without any watering. Group plants together
based on similar water needs.
31.Do not hose your driveway or sidewalk. Using a hose to clean a driveway can
waste hundreds of gallons of water.
32.Outfit your hose with a shut-off nozzle that can be adjusted down to a fine spray
so water flows only as needed.
33.Use hose washers between faucets and water hoses to eliminate leaks.
34.Do not leave sprinklers or hoses unattended.
35.Check all hoses, connectors and spigots regularly.
36.Consider using a commercial car wash that recycles water. If you wash your own
car, park on the grass to do so.
37.Avoid the installation of ornamental water features (such as fountains) unless the
water is recycled.
38.If you have a swimming pool, consider a new water-saving pool filter.
39.General Water Saving Tips
40.Create an awareness of the need for water conservation among children. Avoid the
purchase of recreational water toys that require a constant stream of water.
41.Be aware of and follow all water-conservation and water-shortage rules and
restrictions, which may be in effect in your area.
42.Encourage your employer to promote water conservation at the workplace.
43.Patronize businesses which practice and promote water conservation.
44.Report all significant water losses (broken pipes, open hydrants, errant sprinklers,
etc.) to the property owner or local authorities. Report abandoned free-flowing
wells to the water management district.
45.Encourage your school system and local government to help develop and promote
a water conservation ethic among children and adults.

4. 46.Support projects that will lead to an increased use of reclaimed wastewater for
irrigation and other uses.
47.Support efforts and programs to create a concern for water conservation among
tourists and visitors to our state.
48.Encourage your friends and neighbors to be part of a water-conscious community.
Promote water conservation in community newsletters, on bulletin boards and by
example.
49.Conserve water because it is the right thing to do. Don't waste water just because
someone else is footing the bill such as when you are staying at a hotel.
50.Try to do one thing each day that will result in a savings of water. Don't worry if it
is minimal. Every drop counts. And every person can make a difference.
Water wastage
From the beginning, Pakistani farmers have actively traded water rights for
reciprocal times or cash payments. The act criminalizes this pervasive and
somewhat efficient practice. The abiana (water tax) mandated in the act, and paid
for by the farmers, kept the irrigation system profitable until the early 1970s, when
the populist government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto froze the abiana. Today, the abiana
remains at the same level, resulting in provincial irrigation and drainage authorities
(PIDA) incurring massive losses that fail to provide adequate resources for the
effective operations and management of the system. Donors have pressured the
government to increase the abiana receipts and to decentralize the system from a
bureaucratic system to a more cooperative farmer-run system, where the farmers
oversee water allocation and revenue collection.
These initial conclusions are anecdotal and require more extensive surveying to be
truly representative. In addition, three disparate views of the water and security
nexus across sectors and populations in Pakistan exist. The first is on the issue of
policy. For water managers, particularly civil engineers, and the federal
government, the solution to shortfalls in water supply compared to demand is more
storage. Forecasts of water scarcity and energy shortfalls are resulting in urgent
pushes for the country to build more dams. In Pakistan, water and security linkage
is likely to be experienced via the energy sector.
The total land area of Pakistan is approximately 310,322 square miles or 88 million
hectares of land, of which approximately 20 million heaters are used for agriculture

5. purposes.
The river system of Indus and its tributaries provides Pakistan some of the most
fertile land in the Indian subcontinent.
Under the Indus Water Basin Treaty of 1960 three eastern rivers namely: Sutlej,
Beas and Ravi were allocated to India for its exclusive use. The Treaty gives
Pakistan control over the western rivers namely: the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
India has also been allowed to develop 13, 43,477 acres of irrigated cropped area
on the western rivers without any restriction on the quantum of water to be utilized.
Pakistan’s most highly produced crops are wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane.
Although these are agricultural staples, they are also the most water intensive crops
on the planet. These crops are hardly drought resistance, so if Pakistan did
experience water scarcity, it would could an economic and humanitarian disaster.
According to a recently published report by Wapda, regarding the daily water
requirement of our major cities, the figures stated were as follows: Islamabad
needs 176m gallons per day but is only receiving 84m gallons, Karachi needs
1,100m gallons per day but is receiving 600m gallons, Peshawar needs 250m
gallons but is receiving 126m gallons, Lahore needs 696m gallons but is receiving
484m gallons, Quetta needs 45m gallons but is receiving 28m gallons and, lastly
Gwadar needs 17m gallons but is only receiving 12m gallons.
Water is a fundamental basic need and an essential resource for economic activities
with strong cultural and symbolic values for millions of people especially in
developing countries. A domestic water supply is universally acknowledged as not
only a basic right but a key development indicator. One third of the world’s
population is currently experiencing some kind of physical or economic water
scarcity.
A growing competition for water from different sectors, including industry,
agriculture, power generation, domestic use, and the environment, is making it
difficult for people to access this scarce resource for productive, consumptive and
social uses. In water-scarce regions and countries, inequity in access to water
resources is increasing because of competition for limited resources, and this
particularly affects poor rural people.

6. Asia, situated primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres, is the world’s
largest and most populated continent and water is a serious constraint in Asia,
China. An arid country, Pakistan has in most areas of agriculture a monsoon
climate, depends profoundly on annual glacier melts and monsoon rains and there
might be plentiful rainfall during the wet season and then a very extended dry
season where crop production depends very heavily on irrigation water.
Pakistan Water Partnership (PWP) states that in Pakistan the total available surface
water is about 153 million acre feet (MAF) and the total ground water reserves are
roughly 24 MAF, of which a substantial part has been excavated without allowing
for natural restore.
Over-pumping of groundwater for agriculture, industry or domestic use comes at a
sharp ecological price. It disrupts the natural hydrologic cycle causes rivers and
wetlands to dry up, the ground to flop and fish and wildlife and trees to die.
Water shortage
Pakistan is home to the aromatic long grain Basmati rice, grown in the plains of
north Punjab. Some of the best verities of fruits are grown in Pakistan that include
mangoes, apples, oranges, peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, grapes, pears,
pomegranate, guava, melons and dates.
A wide variety of vegetables are also produced in Pakistan. But the water shortage
in the present situation can put enormous reduction in the mentioned productions
and put impact on economy of the country.
The water situation may also be impacting the education system, which would
eventually have a negative outcome on development and the economy. One in
three schools in unable to provide students with clean drinking water, which
prevents students from concentrating and also spreads water-borne diseases that
prevent children from being able to attend school.
Water-borne diseases, in and of themselves, are delivering a blow to Pakistan’s
economy. It has been estimated that water-borne diseases cost Pakistan $1.3 billion
each year. 80% of disease in Pakistan is caused by unsafe water, accounting for
40% of deaths. Water-borne diseases include typhoid, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and
intestinal parasites.
The agricultural sector is also under pressure to accommodate the increasing
population’s need for food. So far, it produces 23% of Pakistan’s gross domestic

7. product (GDP) and 68% of the rural population directly or indirectly depends on
income from agriculture. 90% of food grains come from irrigated agriculture.
Wheat alone constitutes 47% of the calorie intake of the poor in Pakistan,
underlining the importance of food grain production for food security. It is
estimated that Pakistan will have to double its annual food production every 15
years, in order to maintain the status quo in meeting food requirements. This
implies an estimated increase in water requirements of about 40% between 2002
and 2025.
Food production is endangered due to the high degree of water-logging and
salinity on agricultural land. In 1998, 9.1 million hectares (ha) of agricultural land
were affected by water-logging and 4.9 million ha by severe water-logging, i.e.
33.7 and 18.2% of the agricultural land, respectively. Almost 13% of the cultivated
land is saline. These twin menaces have led to crop declines of about 30% in yields
of major crops and thus threaten Pakistan’s food security.
According to a research study on water resources of Pakistan, approximately water
having economic values of $70 billion is being thrown into sea every year due to
non-construction of water reservoirs. A water starved country, which has the
foreign reserve of only $20 billion, can’t afford throwing water of economic value
of $70 billion every year into sea.
Study of Pakistan Counsel of Research on the water resources of Pakistan
(PCRWR) revealed that rapid depletion of ground water may soon worsen the
water crisis in Pakistan’s major cities, causing a drought-like situation. Such crisis
needs to be taken on war footings; otherwise, a large section of Pakistan’s
population, especially those living in big cities, will be facing severe shortage of
water.
Human development is a process of enlarging people’s choices. The most critical
ones are to lead a long and healthy life, to be educated, and to have access to the
resources necessary for a decent standard of living. Human development has two
main aspects. On the one hand, it involves the formation of human capabilities,
such as improved health, knowledge, and skills. On the other hand, it refers to the
use people make of their acquired capabilities for leisure, productive purposes, or
for being active in cultural, social, and political affairs.
The most effective counter strategy against the decreasing water table will be to
establish a network of small hydro-dams all over Pakistan, specifically in Sindh.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) statistics, during

8. 2011, Pakistan received 72 per cent more monsoon rainfall than average, while in
Sindh the monsoon rainfall reached a record high of 247 per cent above normal
monsoon pouring. This strategy will not only enable Pakistan to meet the future
water scarcity challenge but will also enhance the hydroelectricity generation
capacity of the country.
We need to understand the urgency of the situation as time is running out and a lot
needs to be done in this regard. An equal responsibility lies on all of us at
individual level to conserve as much water as we can. For example, while brushing
our teeth we generally leave our taps on releasing three gallons of water per
minute. So brushing twice a day for three minutes each will result in 18 gallons of
water wastage per person per day that means 6,570 gallons of water wastage per
person per year. Similarly, we can keep our taps turned off during dish washing
intervals, car washing and laundry.
The End