Water shortage demands urgent attention

Despite a normal wet season over the summer months, Pakistan faces a possible 17 percent water shortage during the upcoming cropping season from October to March next year, the country’s leading water regulatory authority has announced. "Though the situation is far better than last year when we faced a 50 percent water shortage with having just 5 MAF [million-acre feet] water available for irrigation needs, these shortages are becoming perpetual with every passing year - partly as a result of climatic conditions, but more for our lessened storage capacity over time," Muhammad Khalid Idrees Rana, a spokesman for the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), said in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Friday. Pakistan's agricultural sector, which accounts for 93 percent of all water usage in the country, is under severe pressure due to natural water shortages, high population growth and inappropriate management of available water. At present, Pakistan is classed as a "water-stressed" nation, having about 1,200 cu metres per capita water availability for a population of almost 150 million. However, according to water experts, that figure could slip below the water-deficient level of below 1,000 cu metres per capita per year by 2010 if current conditions prevail. With some 22 percent decreased storage capacity, "This year, the quantity of carryover stored water is about 10.5 MAF, which is around 17 percent short of our winter irrigation requirements," Rana noted. Storage capacity of Pakistan’s two main reservoirs of Terbela and Mangla - built some three decades ago – has been reduced from an original of up to 14 MAF to 11 MAF now, primarily due to silting. While another 15 MAF is being lost in line losses. Demands on Pakistan's water resources are multiplying, ranging from drinking and sanitation to crop irrigation or manufacturing. While Pakistani authorities are fully aware of the problem at hand, it's clear more needs to be done. To this, a nine-member Technical Committee on Water Resources was formed in 2004 by Pakistan's President Pervez Musharaf to explore building more reservoirs in the country. The committee has submitted its recommendation to the president; however, details of that assessment have yet to be made public. Meanwhile, water experts from both the public and private sector share one sentiment - the country must do what is necessary to avoid reaching a ‘water-deficient’ status.