PESHAWAR:The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan organized a workshop for print and electronic media journalists to sensitize them on Pakistan’s water security challenges.
According to a press release issued here on Tuesday, the event was organized to mark the World Environment Day, which is celebrated every year on 5 June to raise awareness for the conservation of planet earth.
The theme for this year’s World Environment Day was ‘Only One Earth’ which called for collective and transformative action on a global scale to celebrate, protect and restore the planet.
At the workshop, IWMI’s Representative for Pakistan and Central Asia Dr. Mohsin Hafeez gave a presentation on the prevailing water crisis in Pakistan and how it was taking toll on remote communities.
He said, “Pakistan’s population is increasing at 2.4% annually, which is the highest in South Asia and is adding pressure on water resources.”
Similarly, the agriculture sector received 90% of water share and water demand from agriculture and other sectors was also increasing, he said, adding this was further compounded by the fact that Pakistan was among the top 10 countries most vulnerable to climate change.
“Our increasing dependence on the Indus River for our water requirements has also made us vulnerable to climatic shocks,” he added.
Having a Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus approach was critical to rural livelihoods, food and nutrition security and economies, Mohsin stressed.
He also shared the salient features of a latest study, “NEXUS Gains for the Indus Basin: Realizing Multiple Benefits Across Water, Energy, Food and Ecosystems (Forests, Biodiversity)” which was currently being implemented across Pakistan, Ethiopia, India, and Nepal, and aimed at realizing gains across water, energy, food and ecosystems with a focus on forests and biodiversity for the ecosystem component.
Professor of Economics & Strategy at Karachi School of Business & Leadership (KSBL) Dr. Nadeem Javaid also gave a presentation on water security challenges from economic perspective.
He said, “We have sufficient water resources but they are not managed properly. Climate change is making river flows and rainfall patterns erratic. The situation calls for developing water storages to meet water requirements. This should be further complemented by rainwater harvesting at the household level and further incentivizing this technology for mass scale adoption.”