Outline-Intro - Water Crisis in Pakistan and Its Remedies

Water Crisis in Pakistan and Its Remedies
Outline:
 Thesis Statement:
Water crisis in Pakistan has multiple causes like population explosion, excessive water usage
in agriculture and low water storage capacity, and it can greatly affect the country by causing
a decline in socio-economic growth and by threatening the national integrity, but by taking
remedial actions- population growth control, management of water resources-, a
catastrophe can be averted.
 Introduction
 Water crisis in Pakistan
 Causes:
o Population explosion
 2% annual population growth rate as per World Population Prospect
 Decrease in water availability form 5650m3 in 1951 to 964m3 in 2018
o Excessive water utilization in agriculture
 97% water used for irrigational purposes
 40% of water in the irrigation canals lost to seepage
 Flood irrigation ???
o Low water storage capacity
 Annual river flow: 144 MAF
 Water storage capacity: 14 MAF
o Lack of political vision
 1st National water policy in 2019 ???
 Political instability
o Water Wastage
 35 MAF waster wasted into Arabian sea annually
o Indus Water Treaty
 Allowance to India to store 3.6 MAF water from western rivers
 Run of the river dams and hydro-electric plants built by India
o Climate Change
 Rapid glacial Ice melting
 No flood water storage capability
o Technological backwardness
 Inability to harness rain water
 No water recycling facility
o Exorbitant use of ground water
 Underground water level falling quickly
 Socio-Economic Impacts:
o Economic decline
 4% GDP loss expected as per a 2019 World Bank report
 Unavailability of water to raise crops in semi-arid areas
o Threat to national integration
 Threat to state viability
 Inter-Provincial disputes
o Human security and Survival
 8.6 million lacked access to safe drinking water in 2016
 Remedies
o Population control
o Changing agriculture policy
o Increasing Storage Capacity
o Water Management and awareness of masses
o Water Conservation at national and domestic level
o Renegotiation of IWT
o Technological advancement
 Conclusion
Many countries of the word, particularly South Asia, are facing the issue of water crisis. For
Pakistan, however, the matter is of a great concern. Pakistan, according to a 2019 World Bank
report, is already a water stressed country and if it does not mend its ways, it is on the path of
becoming a water scarce state by 2025. Water crisis in Pakistan is due to many reasons like
population explosion-2% annual population growth, excessive water utilization of 97% of surface
water in agriculture, low storage capacity of only 14 MAF of the total 144 MAF annual river flow, lack
of political vision, wastage of 35 MAF water into Arabian river , Indian hegemony over the western
rivers, climate change-rapid glacial ice melting, extravagant ground water usage and technological
backwardness. The issue can greatly impact Pakistan’s socio-economic development by reducing
Pakistan’s GDP by 4% annually, as per a 2019 world bank report, and, most importantly, by
compromising human and state security. However, some actions can be taken to avoid the
doomsday and save the country from affliction such as controlling population expansion, reducing
the agricultural water usage, increasing water storage capacity, managing existing water resources,
introducing water conservation, renegotiating Indus water treaty and advancing the technology.
Although, the issue is greatly worrying but by taking these actions, it can be expected that Pakistan
can save itself from great destruction.
Pakistan is facing an acute water crisis and the situation is expected to worsen in the future.
According to a World Bank Report (2019), per capita water availability in Pakistan will reduce to
800m3; that will mark an acute water shortage in the country. (Pleae give your analysis after facts
and figures like you can explain its causes why per capita water is going down.)Pakistan’s per capita
water availability has reduced drastically since its inception but the future prediction paints an even
darker picture. Water scarcity will cause economic regression and social degeneration along with
affecting the country’s survival. The situation has worsened with time because no step in the right
direction was taken but even now if the country does not undertake formidable actions the crisis will
entrench itself at the expense of the prosperity of the citizens of the country. (Analysis needs to be
improved.)
Pakistan’s population explosion has seriously reduced the per capita water availability.
According to 2018 annual report of World Wide Fund- Pakistan, per capita water availability in
Pakistan has reduced from 5650m3 in 1951 to 964 m3 in 2018 with a population increase from 34
million in 1951 to 216 million in 2019. Moreover, the population is further expected to increase to
242million by 2025. The increasing population puts a pressure on the natural resources and causes a
reduction in the per capita water availability. Furthermore, due to an uneven distribution of water to
the people in this country, population explosion will cause an unavailability of water to masses that
will, in effect, make the situation even worse. In analysis, please do mention lack of planning on the
side of government and issued faced by population.
Water utilization in agriculture in Pakistan has been exorbitant and it has caused a reduction in
availability of water to people to fulfil other needs. Pakistan nearly uses 97% of its surface water for
irrigation of its crops. The large amount is due to cropping of highly water demanding crops such as
sugarcane, wheat and rice. Moreover, flood irrigation has further exacerbated the issue. Pakistan’s
economy mainly depends upon agriculture but its benefits must match its cost. Furthermore, the
water loss in irrigational canals is also high. Nearly 40% water in the canals is lost to seepage because
of the dirt-lining of these canals. The irrigation system supports agriculture but the delivery of water
from the head works to the agricultural fields loses a large quantity of this precious resource. The
overall impact is an increased stress on the finite quantity of water resources. This paragraph is fine
to some extent.

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