New study shows half the population lacks safe water

Only 56 percent of the total population of Pakistan has access to safe drinking water, according to a study, entitled "Water, A Vital Source of Life", published by the United Nations System in Pakistan, and launched in the capital, Islamabad, on Thursday. "This is a significant contribution towards mass awareness programmes in the area of water management. The articles regarding provincial water situations give deep insight into the local issues," Maj (retd) Tahir Iqbal, the environment minister, said at the launch. "We hope this book will appeal to all people and inform them what programmes are in place in Pakistan with regard to water issues and also the importance of water," Tetsuo Ohno, the deputy director of the UN Information Centre, told IRIN in Islamabad on Thursday. The book is the result of a collaborative effort, with journalists, federal ministers, and school children all having contributed. It also includes recommendations by UN agencies in Pakistan on improving water management. "Pakistan is home to diverse and complex water systems which are unique. Of course, there are important questions surrounding the usage and storage of fresh water in the country, and the ongoing national debate is evidence that water issues are critically important in Pakistan," Onder Yucer, the UN resident coordinator, said at the book launch. The scarcity of water in Pakistan has become a problem due to the variability of the climate, the continually growing population, and the declining quality of freshwater resources - a phenomenon attributed to the entry of sewerage and industrial effluents into the country's freshwater streams. "The water situation warrants more efficient water management, both at macro and micro levels. Therefore, the government has taken a number of initiatives to save the water bodies from becoming polluted. In this regard, a national water policy is currently under preparation," Iqbal said.