WATER SCARCITY IN PAKISTAN,

ITS CAUSES, IMPACTS AND

REMEDIAL MEASURES
Introduction

 Basic Fundamental need

 Development indicator
 A growing competition for water from
different sectors
 Insufficient amount of water for drinking
and irrigation
Introduction

 Law of demand and supply

 Expensive and inexpensive water according to it’s scarcity or abundance
 Importance of irrigation in Pakistan’s economy
 Importance of water storage systems in developing countries
Importance of
Agriculture in Pakistan

 Importance of agriculture due to its

contribution to Pakistan’s GDP
 Agricultural country turned to
diversified country due to
industrialization
 Contribution to GDP and labour force
 Source of foreign exchange incomes
Importance of Agriculture in Pakistan

 65% of our total income is from the export of rice, cotton and cotton based products
 Agriculture is one of the main employment cause in Pakistan
 70% population depends directly upon agriculture
 13.3 Mha is canal irrigated and 3.5 Mha is rain fed out of 29.6 Mha agricultural area
Total Water Consumption by Different Sectors in Pakistan

8%

23%
Agriculture
Industry
Domestic

69%
Resources of water

 Rainfall
 Glaciers
 The Indus River System
Resources of water

 Rainfall
 Western depression
 Monsoon
 Average Rain Record
 212mm during Kharif
 55mm during Rabi
 Glaciers
 Cover nearly 13,680 sq-km of total area
 According to scientists
 1/5th of glaciers have diminished in the period of 30
years
 it will disappear in 2035
Resources of water
 The Indus River System
 The largest river of Pakistan
 Fulfils household, industrial
and agricultural needs
 Tributaries
 Eastern
 Jhelum, Ravi,
Chenab and Sutlej
 Western
 Kabul, Swat, Tochi,
Kurram and
Gomal
Causes of Water
Scarcity

 Less downpour
 Silting of reservoirs
 Seepage of water in soil
 Less Downpour

 Bad effect on hydrological

cycle
 Contribute 5-10% to crops
 UN Report
 Reduction of forests from
25% to 5%
Silting of reservoirs

 What is silting?
 Tarbela and Mangla
 Silting up to 6.6 MAF in 36
years
 Effects the storage capacity
 Total loss is 13.20 MAF
 Seepage of
water in soil

 What is seepage?
 Annual loss of irrigation water
18.3 MAF
 Effect on Indus river system
 Total water Loss
 25% of water (26 MAF) is
through canals,
distributaries and minors.
 45 MAF lost through
seepage, evaporation,
transpiration and
overtopping etc
Global Population Position UN Estimated

 Increasing rate of population

 Population growth rate in developing countries
 Pakistan is the 6th most populous nation in the world
Indus Water Treaty

 Dispute of water distribution between

Pakistan and India
 Division of rivers and canals between two
countries
 3 multipurpose dams were built in Pakistan
 System of 8 link canals were built
 Loss to country
Water Losses

 Total water collected from all surface

sources in Pakistan
 Losses from canals, watercourses and
lands
Water
Losses
  Availability of water supply
 Actual and recharging source of water
supply
 Rainfall is low in semi-arid region
Discussion  Requires watershed management
 Irrigation water becoming a diminishing
source
 According to Global Fact
Impact of Water Shortage
 Shortage in cropped land:
 Less water means less agricultural yields
 29 million hectares land is cultivable
 Only 17 million hectares is irrigated
 Hydro power:
 40,000 MW hydropower in upper Indus region
 22,797 MW electricity generation capacity
 Average demand is 17000MW Short fall is 4000 to 5000MW
 Wapda has projected a power requirement of 75149MW
Impact of Water
Shortage
 Effects of urbanization:
 Pakistan’s population in 2014 is over 190
million
 Leads to urbanization
 Water consumption is increasing which leads
to water scarcity
 Ground water:
 Ground water depletion
 Frequent pumping of water
 Effect on national harmony:
 Creating bitter controversy between
provinces
 Affecting national integration
Impact of Water Shortage

 Intrusion of salt water:

 Witnessed inland up to 100 Kilometers north of sea
 Sindh is adversely affected
 Destroys water supplies
 Peoples are compelled to drink brackish water
 Impact on economy:
 Agriculture is the backbone of country
 According of Federal Govt. the agriculture sector would suffer
the loss of RS. 90million
 Water shortage in agriculture would have a greater affect on
prevailing level of poverty
Recommendations and Conclusion

 Proper management of water resources

 Yearly budget statistics for effective planning of water resources
 Old irrigation systems should be rehabilitated
 Institutional management for the use of water
 Tax should be fixed on water quantity instead of land tax