KARACHI – A world bank report on Pakistan’s water situation has pointed outthat water availability per person is comparatively low in the country.
The report was shared at an event organized by Sindh Water SectorImprovement Project, which functions under Sindh Irrigation and DrainageAuthority (SIDA), according to SIDA’s spokesman Hizbullah Mangrio.
He informed that the report stated that water wastage was an issue andagricultural yields were low compared to most other countries.
“Although climate change and trans-boundary issues are a significanthindrance for Pakistan’s water sector, the greatest challenges andopportunities are internal, not external, to Pakistan,” it noted.
According to the report, improving water use efficiency and productivity,delivery of water services in cities and in irrigation, and addressingenvironmental sustainability were the most pressing needs.
“While irrigation dominates water use in the country, the 4 major cropsincluding rice, wheat, sugarcane and cotton use 80 percent of water butcontribute only 5 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” it observed,adding that the poor water management was conservatively estimated to cost4 percent of GDP or around $12 billion per year.
The report says that the costs were dominated by inadequate domestic watersupply and sanitation and also include the costs of floods and droughts.
Read Top Stories
“Poor sanitation and a lack of wastewater treatment cause water-bornediseases that kill 40,000 children each year,” the report noted.
It also raised alarm over the degradation of Indus delta, the rivers andlakes which undermine the important ecosystem services.
The report underlined that without reform, irrigation water use would limitwater access by industry and services sectors and constrain the economicgrowth.
“Attention must be given to increasing flows below Kotri Barrage both forthe health of the delta and for Karachi water supply,” it recommended.
The report was prepared by the World Bank with external contributions fromlocal and international water experts, including the International WaterManagement Institute and the International Food Policy Research Institute.
