Multi-pronged Strategy Imperative To Avert Water Scarcity : Experts

A multi-pronged strategy was imperative to overcome water scarcity as country's past water profile was drastically changing from a water abundant to a water-scarce one due to poor water management system.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Nov, 2018 ) :A multi-pronged strategy was imperative to overcome water scarcity as country's past water profile was drastically changing from a water abundant to a water-scarce one due to poor water management system.

This was the focus and crux of the recommendations by over 50 water security experts on Tuesday at a Roundtable Discussion Session on "Water Security: Issues/Way Forward on Aggression and Conservation".

It was organized by Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), according to a press release.

They said it was a need of hour to devise a strategy to avert and lessen the threat of water shortage and to avoid droughts and food insecurity .

They called for focusing on small dams since there was potential to make small to medium size dams. "Small dams can be built by private sector and the investors should be incentivized, they added.

Emphasizing on taking practicable steps, they said Indus Waters Treaty was not final and conclusive one and opined that Pakistan could have had a better holistic deal.

Pakistan should work out legal modalities diligently after consultation with eminent legal experts prior to approaching the International Court of Justice (ICJ), they added.

They stressed for introducing rain water harvesting at the household level, both in urban and rural areas and pointed out that flood irrigation must be phased out to ensure an efficient irrigation system in the country.

They called for improving irrigation methods and adopting crop zoning and added navigation industry and water parks were promising in mitigating flooding in specific areas.

The experts said there was a need to reuse water in houses like kitchen water could be reused in toilets for which a massive awareness campaigns were required.

Major General Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery, HI(M), (Retd) said with increasing population, Pakistan was going through adverse climate variations including drought and inconsistent monsoon patterns, lacking required numbers of water reservoirs.

"If we do not take effective timely steps, then the results will be more worse withdrastic effects of floods and droughts," he remarked.