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1. Rimsha akhtar
BBA 5TH A
ECONOMIC PROBLEMS OF
PAKISTAN
water

2. Discuss the problems of water, saving of water, needs of water, wastage of
water, and discuss the obstacles inthe wayof watersaving, watershortage and
how to improve the water resources in Pakistan?
The Problems of Water in Pakistan:
AMONG all the looming challenges that Pakistan is facing, water crisis is the most
critical problem of the country. Accordingto the world resourceinstitute, the country
is among the leading five that face extremely high-water scarcity and low access to
safe drinking water and sanitation. The United Nations Organization has categorized
Pakistan amongst those few unfortunate countries where water shortage destabilizes
and jeopardies its existence in the next few decades. In Pakistan, quarter to third of
Pakistan’s population lacks access to safe drinking water. Both the urban and rural
areas suffer from water scarcity, water contamination and water-borne diseases.
The crisis of water has remained unheeded and even the political parties do not
bother to make this issue in their manifestos. When the water crisis is talked of, the
managing and construction of dams get politicized. However, beyond the
construction ofnew dams, the already constructed dams are mismanaged. The mega
dams of Pakistan at Tarbela and Mangla are 40 years old and their storage capacity
is falling because of silting and sedimentation. They store only 30 days of average
water demand compared to 220 days forIndia. There are numerous reasons that have
given rise to water scarcity like lack of proper management of existing dams, the
antediluvian system of canals and barrages, mismanagement of water resources and
policy flaws.
According to the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, Pakistan may
run dry if the prevalent situation continues. Water is desperately needed for
agriculture in rural areas. Moreover, Pakistan’s water crisis is also glaringly apparent
in its urban areas. Besides the administrative flaws, Pakistan’s all-time enemy is all
adding salt to sorrows. India has violated Indus Water Treaty many times bybuilding
dams on western rivers. Its projects such as Bughlier and Kishenganga Dam on
Chenab and Jhelum rivers may eat up substantial portion of Pakistan’s share of
water. In this regard, Pakistan has lost its case in international court few days ago.
Water crisis has badly affected the agriculture sector of Pakistan. The agriculture
sector, according to latest Economic Survey of Pakistan, contributes 21 percent to
total GDP of Pakistan.

3. Moreover, agriculture sector provides 47 percent employment to a total population
of Pakistan. Similarly, most Pakistan’s export goods rely on agriculture i.e. 70
percent of the export goods are agriculture products. This means that agriculture is
the backbone of country’s economy and agriculture sector is dependent on water.
Thus, the water scarcity results in severe economic distress to country’s economy.
Historically, the agriculture sector has played a very monumental role in making
country’s economy stabilized. This became possible due to uninterrupted water
availability in the country. According to a research study on water resources of
Pakistan, approximately water having economic values of $70 billion is being
thrown into the 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 to
throw water of mammoth economic value.
The politicians and analysts give credit to the policies of the then government. Few
economists and policy makers cite this in another way. Firstly, the Indus Water
Treaty was materialized in 1967 between arch-rivals India and Pakistan that
facilitated water availability. Secondly, tube wells were initiated to overcome water
deficit. Pakistan is not only facing water scarcity, but the safe drinking water is also
a dream in many urban areas. According to the recent report of UNICEF, 53,000
Pakistani children die of many lethal diseases such as diarrhea after drinking
contaminated water each year. However, the worsening water crisis needs to be
resolved for economic stability and development. Far deeper changes are required
to mitigate the water deficiency.
For instance, Singapore follows the strategy of fours taps and Japan has invested
heavily in water-saving technology. Similarly, Pakistan has enough water around the
year that needs to be reserved rather it is left for spoilage and wastage. Many
developing countries are adopting a strategy of water-pricing that needs to be
implemented in the country for better and efficient use of water. According to the
United Nations Development Programmed (UNDP), the development of lesser
levelling technology and furrow bed irrigation has resulted in saving 30 per cent of
water and has led to increasing water productivity by 25 per cent in Punjab. Its scope
needs to be widened across Pakistan to achieve water availability. Besides this
according to Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources Pakistan has lost
water worth $90billion since 2010 due to floods. This can be attenuated by
constructing mega but undisputed dams so that the country may get the track of
development, progress and prosperity.

4. Saving of Water
About 80% of Punjab has fresh groundwater, with some saline water in the south
and in desert areas. In Sindh, less than 30% of groundwater is fresh. Much of the
province is underlain by highly brackish water. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,
increasing abstraction has led to wells reaching saline layers, and much of
Balochistan also has saline groundwater.
The quality of water in federal capital Islamabad and adjacent city Rawalpindi is
no better than the rest of the country. A survey carried out by the National Institute
of Health (NIH) revealed that 75% of water in Islamabad and 87% in Rawalpindi
are unsafe for human consumption.
Pakistan is going through the worst water scarcity of history. No doubt Pakistan’s
water crisis is principally a manmade problem, so we must change the way we think
about water, the way we use water and the way we dispose-off waste water.
Implementation of the recommendations will enable the country to meet the
challenges, and attain the objectives of efficient, integrated, environmentally and
economically sustainable development and management of limited water resources.
Conservation of groundwater aquifers as well as more resourceful use of freshwater
derived from rivers is the only way to guarantee that the terrible projection of
disastrous regional water wars does notmaterialize. The solution ofprevailing water
shortage requires national consensus over proposed projects and their
implementation in letter and spirit. At the same time, it will allow us to utilize every
drop of our water for our bright future.
Pakistan is a developing country and gets its water supply through underground
water reserves, Himalayan glaciers and via monsoonrainfall. However, due to lack
of water storage capability and unsustainable groundwater utilization at the user’s
end, we are running out of our available water reserves.
The per personwater availability in Pakistan was 5,100 cubic meters in 1951 which
dropped down to 1,100 cubic meters at present and is further expected to decrease
to 700 cubic meters by the year 2025, a state which is referred to as ‘physical water

5. scarcity’. It is of utmost importance and for our mutual benefit that steps should be
taken on immediate basis to conserve water.
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
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 donein 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 forthree minutes each will result in 18 gallons ofwater wastage
per person per day that means 6,570 gallons of water wastage per person per year.
Similarly, we can keep our taps turned offduring dishwashing intervals, carwashing
and laundry.
Also, we can minimize water wastage by reducing the time for shower each day.
Mostimportantly, every household should keep an eye for any leakage in water pipes
and fix them immediately. As per the Karachi Water & Sewage Board website, the
city losses 35 per cent of its total water supply due to leakages in pipes. These steps
do not look so significant on paper but in the long run they can and will make a real
difference.
Needs of water:
As Pakistan uses 93% of its fresh water resources on agriculture, there is a need to
improv the efficiency rate which currently stands at 50%. The needs of water for
agriculture will certainly increase the raise in food production. If Pakistan cannot
increase the supply of fresh water, then efficiency in food production may not be
achieved and hence somehow, we will have to create a balance between supply and
demand of fresh water. Pakistan’s 68% population is living in rural areas linked
directly or indirectly linked with agricultural sector. Despite having the world’s

6. largest glaciers, Pakistan is among the world’s 36 most water-stressed countries. As
the population rapidly increases, water demand is projected to far outstrip supply.
As this happens—coupled with strained relations with the country’s neighbors over
Tran’s boundary water resources—thewater crisis is posing a threat to the country’s
future security, stability, and sustainability. Immediate coordinated planning and
implementation is required to avert disaster.
The problem of water shortage in Pakistan has gained the momentum as our water
storage capacity is only for 30 days, and Pakistan has the 4th highest rate of water
uses in the world. It simply means that water intensity rate – the amount of water in
cubic meters used per unit of GDP is the world highest and no country’s economy is
more water intensive than that of Pakistan.
With increasing population and depleting water resources, the country is fast
heading towards water shortage and threat of famine. Fresh storages, therefore,
must be created by building dams to replenish the lost capacity and save the
agricultural economy from total disaster, and produce food grains for rapidly
increasing population.
Wastage of water:

7. Per capita water availability has fallen from approx. 5000 cubic meters per year to
around 1000 cubic meter per year. We are heading towards water availability of less
than 1000 cubic meters per year per person by 2025.
Average Pakistani waste about 40 million of gallons of water when washing a car
and a gallon of water while brushing his or her teeth. While a lot of water is routed
to our farms, very little actually reaches farmers. The health and sanitary problems
they face therefore, forces them to move to cities and live in slums which are often
in worse condition than what they left behind. This increase in rural to urban
migration depletes our cities’ water tables even further.
ISLAMABAD - The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FPCCI)on Sunday said our country is more concerned aboutdams being built by a
neighboring country and less concerned about building dams itself.
He said that water is not scarcein the country, but its conservation has been ignored
for decades. Egypt has the capacity to store water enough for 1000 days while Israel
having its 60 percent area as the desert is exporting water while Pakistan can store
water for thirty days.

8. Ninety percent of water is utilized by the agricultural sectorin Pakistan, but budget
allocated for agricultural research is mere 0.18 percent of the GDP which is not
enough, he noted.
The president of the Apex chamber said that Pakistan is among the country topping
list ofwasting water, having lowest peracre yield and high use ofurea and pesticides
which must be reversed.
Many countries have employed technologies reducing water usage for the
agricultural purpose from 90 to 99 percent but we continue to water it mercilessly.
He said that a little but effective water tax can discourage the wastage to trigger
conservation.
People waste water in their homes without even realizing it. We have become so
accustomed to have a 24-hour supply of water that we sometimes forget that we do
not have an infinite supply of water. We must also learn how to save our water
supply.
In some countries, both ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ ones, strict monitoring of
water usage is a way of life and the watering of lawns and gardens routinely is
banned in times of shortage. It is quite feasible to install state-of-the-art recycling
systems by which all household water, including sewage water, is rendered fit for
garden and lawn use.
Larger versions of the same systems should also be installed at schools, colleges,
universities, hospitals and in all other buildings, including businesses where large
volumes of water are used daily. The water thus collected, if the building does not
have its own lawns or gardens on which to utilize it, could then be ‘harvested’ by
specially designated tankers or specifically designed pipelines to be used for
cultivation purposes elsewhere.
Such a system, especially if linked to rainwater harvesting systems, would go to an
incredibly long way to ensuring that the countries’ citizens never have to live with
the worry of taps running dry.
Obstacles in the way of saving water:

9. Pakistan’s governance patterns may be one of the biggest factors preventing eff
active water management. Its regulatory and institutional defy cadencies are
increasing tensions among stakeholders, who are failing to communicate and
cooperate with each other to overcome the weak policies and enforcement
mechanisms ofthe water sector. Mostalarming is a seemingly general apathy toward
changing current policies and practices. Water disputes in Pakistan are chronic. Th
e perennial irrigation water shortages create conflict between provinces, with each
accusing the other of bad faith and duplicity. Th e lack of water laws that define
water rights often pit users against each other; land ownership rather than water use
serves as a proxy for water rights.74 Water bureaucracy in Pakistan is also
notoriously corrupt due to both the ineffective internal administrative checks on
decisions made by irrigation bureaucrats and the pressure for these bureaucrats to
accommodate large landowners, who are often politicians.75 A reported 25 percent
of farmers have acknowledged paying bribes to irrigation officials for water.76 Th
ese officials have almost total discretion in deciding water entitlements. Fighting this
corruption is often futile, because Pakistan’s legal system is slow and no actual
system for enforcing rights is in place. Pakistan has a multiplicity of water-related
legislation and regulations, dating back to colonial rule, as evident in table 3. Th is
list does not even touch on the numerous land and tenancy laws that define water
rights and usage based onland ownership. Th e mostimportant legislation governing
water in the country is the Canal and Drainage Act 1873, which provides the key
legal framework for water management in the agricultural sector. Th e act allocates
considerable administrative and judicial authority to irrigation department officials
with almost no provision for public accountability.77 It mandates a fixed time
rotational irrigation schedule. It is well known that temporally equal water rights at
the head and tail reaches of watercourses deliver much less water at the tail end. Th
is geographical inequity, well known at the time of the framing of the act, is not
accounted for in the legislation and hence legitimizes structural inequities in the
irrigation system.78 Furthermore, the act provides for collective punishment for
possible individual acts of sabotage of irrigation infrastructure, giving absolute
administrative and judicial authority to irrigation department functionaries to
adjudicate disputes. Furthermore, the act recognizes all water resources as
government property and specifically links water rights to the land. Water rights
cannotbe legally traded independently ofthe land. However vibrant and active water
markets do exist independent of land. Th e inflexibility inherent in the warabandi79

10. (fixed time rotational irrigation scheduling) system means that farmers have to take
water when it is their turn, regardless of whether they need it or how much ofit they
need. From the beginning, Pakistani farmers have actively traded water rights for
reciprocal times or cash payments. Th e 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. Th e Provincial Irrigation and
Drainage Act (1997) responded to this donor pressure to turn provincial irrigation
departments from government agencies to regulatory authorities. In the future, these
authorities would regulate farmer-run area water boards along canal commands and
farmer organizations along village water courses while withdrawing from the day-
to-day management of the system. In practice, governance methods have not really
changed. In the province of Balochistan, given its high dependenceon groundwater,
the importance of ongoing groundwater mining was recognized. Th e Balochistan
Groundwater Rights Administration Ordinance of 1978 outlined a procedure for
licensing tubewell development in the province to tackle groundwater mining. Th e
licensing of tube wells was supposedto be based on area-specific c guidelines to be
sanctioned by area water boards, butthe guidelines were never formulated. In some
instances, communities mobilized to institute self-regulating groundwater
management in somedistricts, butin the aftermath ofthe drought in the 1990s, many
of those systems came to naught. Some are in place in the southwest of the number
of field studies and interviews were conducted to gauge a provisional level of
understanding of Pakistan’s water and security issues at official and grassroots
levels.89 Th e statements here reflect these findings. Th e water and security nexus
in Pakistan is complex because water is such a dominant part of the economy and
the society. Th e country’s water and security concerns are widely known, but it is
the perceptions of water and security among stakeholders and decision makers that
prevent viable solutions for effective water resource management. Th regenerable
perceptions have been observed. First, Pakistan’s decision makers and those in

11. power are not directly affected by water insecurities and have little incentive to
change the system ormake water management reform a priority. Second, the people
who work in the water sector generally have engineering backgrounds and tend to
focus on supply-side solutions, disregarding the changing dynamics of water
demand, society, and the environment. Finally, deep mistrust and perpetual disputes
prevent provincial leaders from working together to find constructive ways to
address Pakistan’s water problems. Th ese 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. Th e 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.
If we do not build more dams to address the energy supply situation in the country
and continue to have the type of electricity load shedding that we are experiencing
right now, there is likely to be a lot of civil unrest. . .. thermal and private power
generation is too expensive and beyond the reach of the common person. Only the
construction of more dams which generate cheap electricity with solve the
problem.90 In addition, leaders of each province are suspicious of each other’s
claims of the extent of their water insecurity. Disagreement is also strong between
provincial leaders, namely Punjab and Sindh, and between the federal government
and the provinces. Punjab’s water managers, for example, often portray themselves
as victims of political machinations and foreign NGO influences, whose suggestions
translate to the disadvantage of Punjab: In Punjab, water demand is much greater,
but there are fewer water projects compared to demand that must work with lower
water allocations. For example, in the 1992 interprovincial water accord, Punjab’s
water demand and use were much higher compared to the allocation, and that
allocation was even less than water the existing infrastructure in Punjab could
deliver. . .. Sindh’s ecological argument is not valid—agriculture must take
precedence over ecology. . .. politicization of this argument between Sindh and
Punjab is causing mistrust between the two, and foreign-supported NGOs are the
main culprits for this state of affairs.91 Th is statement illustrates the conflation of
Punjab and Pakistan interests, the dismissal of oppositional concerns as irrational or
undesirably “political,” the implied equivalence of “politics” with “nuisance,” and

12. the reliance on international expertise to bolster claims are all dominant perceptions
that shape the public discourse on water politics and policy. Th us, the political
geography of center-province tension is crucial to understanding subnational water
politics.
Water resources in Pakistan:
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
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 forits exclusive use. The Treaty gives Pakistan
controlover 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.
Why Is it Important for Pakistan to Build Dams?
More than 80 percent ofwater in Pakistan is considered unsafe. Meanwhile, in 2017,
the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) announced that
Pakistan would run out of water by 2025.
According to WaterAid, Pakistan is one of the 36 most water-stressed countries in
the world. Pakistan is also in the top 10 of countries with the most people living
without clean drinking water. Currently, 16 million people in Pakistan have no other
option than collecting unsafe water for drinking and cleaning, leading to massive
amounts of water-borne disease.
Available water per capita has dropped from 5,600 to 903 cubic meters, as of 2016.
At the current levels of consumption, this number is expected to drop to 500 cubic
meters per person in the coming years.

13. With 60% of Pakistan’s population directly involved in the agricultural sphere, up
to 95% ofPakistan’s water is used in agriculture. However, it it estimated that 50%
ofthe water directed towards agricultural purposes is lost, due to defects in irrigation
systems, including misuse, defective canals, and leaking pipes.
While water supply and storage are shrinking, Pakistan’s population is rapidly
growing, placing greater stress on the already taxed water system. Experts believe
Pakistan’s existing water policy and systems will be unable to sustain the current
levels of growth. Since so many of Pakistan’s citizens rely on agriculture for gainful
activity, water scarcity in Pakistan would spell economic disaster and famine. A
water crisis could even become an issue of national security, since transboundary
water resources have historically been a significant source of tension with nuclear
rival India.
The Hassar Foundation, in partnership with the Asia Foundation, has made a series
of five recommendation for improving water safety and security in Pakistan.
According to the Asia Foundation, those five priorities are: “improving access to
water for the poor and landless; financing the urban and rural water value chain;
safeguarding the Indus Basin and its infrastructure; improving water institutions and
their management and governance; and building a base for science, technology, and
social aspects of water.”
The Asia Foundation also recommends providing financial incentives for smarter
water usage in agricultural production. They recommend the government should use
a series of tariffs, taxes, and price incentives to encourage farmers to producecrops
which require less water.
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.
Water Economy
The Asia Foundation has also made economic arguments for greater water security
and conservation to encourage authorities in Pakistan to build dams. Since

14. agriculture makes up for about 20% of Pakistan’s GDP, while consuming most
Pakistan’s water resources, better management of water could have a huge impact
on GDP. The Asia Foundation estimates that better water management and policy
could increase Pakistan’s agricultural GDP from the current $50 billion to $200
billion, annually.
In addition to water scarcity, as well as water-borne disease, Pakistan has also
experienced an energy crisis. Despite the powerful Indus River system, Pakistan has
barely scratched the surface of hydro energy. It has been estimated that the Indus
River system could produce 59,000 megawatts of energy a year.
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 costPakistan $1.3 billion
each year. 80%of disease inPakistan is caused by unsafe water, accounting for40%
of deaths. Water-borne diseases include typhoid, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and
intestinal parasites.
Pakistan to Build Dams?
Attempts to build dams in Pakistan have been riddled with land conflict, political
disagreements, and international disputes with India.
Since it has become clear that water stress is a major issue in Pakistan, efforts have
been made for Pakistan to build dams. In recent months, WAPDA has been
attempting to build the Diamer-Bhasha Dam. The dam lies between the two
provinces Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) which has led to
conflict and land disputes. Those who claim to hold ownership over the contested
land have even become violent. Each time dam construction commences, locals fire
on workers. So far, 12 have been killed at the construction site.

15. China had originally planned on building the Diamer-Bhasha Dam as part of the
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). However, Pakistan rejected the deal
last November. Islamabad claimed China’s conditions for the deal were “too strict.”
Pakistan announced they would instead be carrying out the planned dam project.
On Monday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court agreed to hear cases on the water shortage
in Pakistan, beginning June 7. The hearings will particularly focus on the proposed
Kalabagh Dam on the Indus River. The dam could increase Pakistan’s dismall water
storage capacity while providing 3,600 megawatts of electricity. In the past,
Pakistan’s political parties have been unable to reach an agreement on the dam, a
hurdle activists hope the Supreme Court will be able to overcome.