PMS 2020 Solved Pakistan Affairs Past Papers | Short Note on Water Crisis in Pakistan
The following question of PMS Pakistan Affairs 2020 is solved by Miss Iqra Ali, the best Pakistan Affairs Coach, on the guided pattern of Sir Syed Kazim Ali, which he taught to his students, scoring the highest marks in compulsory subjects for years. This solved past paper question is uploaded to help aspirants understand how to crack a topic or question, how to write relevantly, what coherence is, and how to include and connect ideas, opinions, and suggestions to score the maximum.
Outline
1-Introduction
2- Manifestation of Water Crisis in Pakistan
3-Causes of Water Crisis in Pakistan
- ✓Population Growth and Unplanned Urbanization
- ✓Climate Change
- ✓Poor Water Management
- ✓Water Pollution
- ✓Over-extraction of Groundwater Sources
4-Solutions to Water Crisis in Pakistan
- ✓ Political Ownership of the Challenge
- ✓ Policy, Reforms and Governance
- ✓ Wastewater recycling
- ✓ Increase in Agricultural Efficiency
- ✓ Water pricing
5-Conclusion
Answer to the Question
Introduction
Water scarcity is a serious issue that has haunted Pakistan for years now. The country ranks 14th among the 17th most vulnerable countries of the world that are deemed to be water-stressed countries. The water crisis in the country is evident in the form of reduced water availability, excessive water withdrawal and dependence on a single river system. The reasons for the water crisis range from social to political ones, including population growth, climate change and poor water management. However, adopting prudent measures, such as taking political ownership of the evil, water metering and recycling wastewater, can help the country transform from a water-stressed country to a water-secure state.
Manifestations of Water Crisis in Pakistan
- Water Availability
Pakistan has transformed from a water-abundant country to a water-stressed nation in recent decades. Despite forming 2.8 per cent of global population, the country accounts for only 0.5% of total renewable water resources. This ranks the country at 36th position in terms of renewable water resources, with India standing at 8th place and Bangladesh standing at 12th place.
- Water Withdrawals
The country stands at 160th place in terms of water withdrawals to water resources, with 18 nations performing worse than Pakistan. Agriculture sector consumes the largest portion, followed by household and industry. So, these sectors have led to increased water withdrawal rates that have put the country in water-stressed condition.
- Dependence on Single River System
The country’s reliance on the Indus river system, accounting for 95.8% of the total renewable water resource, appears risky as the entire country is reliant on this very river system. Its depletion at a faster rate will threaten the country’s water availability. So, reliance of the 5th largest population of the world on a single river system is a clear manifestation of water crisis in the country.
Causes of Water Crisis in Pakistan
- Population Growth and Unplanned Urbanization
Population growth and unplanned urbanization are one of the major reasons for depleting water resources in the country. From 1972 to 2020, the population of the country has increased 2.6 times. pushing the country to the 5th largest nation in terms of population. From 1972 to 2017, water use has increased by 0.7 per cent every year while the water resources have remained static at 246.8 billion cubic meters (BCM), which has prompted a decrease in per capita water availability from 3478 cubic meters to 1117 cubic meters. Additionally, the stress of water reservoirs is bound to increase if the population growth continues to rise, and unplanned urbanization continues to take place.
- Climate Change
Pakistan has been among the list of ten most vulnerable countries to climate change. The effect of climate change on water resources has been evident in the form of changing monsoon patterns, floods and droughts. For instance, Pakistan witnessed the 2022 floods due to change in monsoon patterns and experienced spells of droughts in some of its areas, like droughts in Balochistan from 1997 to 2005. Climate change has the potential to decrease the aggregate water flows in rivers in the future. Indus river basin, Pakistan’s important water source, depends on the glacial and snow melts and precipitation for replenishing. Any effect on these recharging sources can alter the water supply in these basins with potential floods in the short run and famines in the long run.
- Poor Water Management
Around 80% of Pakistan’s water is utilized by four major crops (wheat, cotton, sugarcane and rice) with only 5 per cent contribution to national GDP. The productivity of these crops is quite less when compared to the productivity of these crops in other agrarian economies. Moreover, the canal water is too underpriced, covering only one-fifth of the total operational cost through abiana (canal water charges). This limits the state’s ability to build and maintain irrigation channels in the country. Moreover, the crumbling of water sources also adds to massive water wastage. The country’s irrigation system is one of the inefficient irrigation systems in the world, with only 39 % efficiency, meaning that 61% of the water is lost during conveyance through the water channels. Lastly, Pakistan can only save 9% of the available water in the Indus river basin throughout the year, with the world average of 40 per cent.
- Water Pollution
Water pollution is also one of the factor that limits the availability of clean water to the people in the country. According to a study, around 60% of the population of the country is suffering from one or more diseases that have occurred due to the lack of availability of clean water for drinking and sanitation. So, water pollution is one of the factors that reduces the availability of fresh water for drinking and sanitation.
- Over-extraction of Groundwater sources
Pakistan stands fourth in countries that extract ground water with 65 billion cubic meters (BCM) average water pumped annually. Due to excessive extraction from groundwater reservoirs in some populus cities, like Lahore, the water table levels have fallen significantly. Moreover, the Indus basin aquifer has been ranked as the 2nd most stressed reservoir in the world. Around 60% of the country’s agriculture, 70% of the drinking water and 100% of the industry rely on the basin to get clean water. If this extraction of water continues unregulated, the water table levels are deemed to fall more, posing a big setback to the country’s available water resources.
Solutions to Water Crisis in Pakistan
- Political Ownership of the Challenge
There is a need for the politicians and other stakeholders of the country to take ownership of the water deficiency crisis, first step to solve the problem, as aptly noted by Michael Kugelman, “First of all, Pakistan’s leaders and stakeholders need to take ownership of this challenge and declare their intention to tackle it. Simply blaming previous governments, or blaming India, for the crisis will not solve anything.” So, sincere efforts of the stakeholders are required to alter the present trajectory of the country, which is leading it to a water-stressed nation.
- Policy, Reforms and Governance
In Pakistan, there is a big gap between the policies and their implementation as aptly noted by Ishrat Hussain, “We do not have a water crisis; we have a failure of governance with regard to water crisis.” So, there is a strong need to devise an implementation plan, including water infrastructure maintenance, water conservation technologies and water-awareness campaigns, to promote a more judicious use of water.
- Wastewater recycling
There is a need to set up water recycling plants to recycle the used water, especially for irrigating the agriculture fields. In this regard, the nation needs to follow the example of countries like Israel, where 90% of wastewater is recycled and reused. Such water management technique is able to transform a water-stressed country into a water-secure country.
- Increase Agricultural efficiency
There is a need to use modern technology in watering agricultural fields, so that less water is utilized for irrigation with increased output. Modern methods, like drip irrigation and sprinkling methods, can reduce the excessive usage of fresh water in fields, thereby promoting agricultural efficiency along with water conservation. Moreover, crops that consume water in abundance must be discouraged and replaced with less water-intensive crops.
- Water Pricing
There is a dire need to introduce a stringent water metering regime just like in electricity, or gas. Raising the prices for water consumption from all units, including agriculture, household and industries, will not compel these units to utilize water judiciously, but also will generate enough revenue for the construction of water infrastructures, maintenance of water infrastructure and water-conservation technologies.
Conclusions
Water crisis is a longstanding issue that Pakistan has been confronting for years now. The crisis is evident due to the diminishing water availability, excessive water withdrawal rates compared to available water resources and reliance on the single river system. The factors that are responsible for the problem include burgeoning population growth and unplanned urbanization, changing climate and water pollution. However, the issue can be well-resolved by adopting some judicious measures, like taking political ownership of the challenge, improving governance by implementing the formulated policies, recycling wastewater and water pricing.
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