Water Crisis in Pakistan

Water Crisis in Pakistan: A Necessity of Life Demanding a Solution

In recent years, lots of concerns related to the water crisis have surfaced in national newspapers. Innumerable debates have occurred on the construction of dams, not just for electricity but also to counter the water crisis. The term "water war" has also surfaced and speculations are intensifying. Some reports even say that Pakistan will run out of water by 2025. 

Construction of dams yield lots of advantages; water storage and power(electricity) production for sure but can also help and succour in flood control, irrigation and even generates jobs for decades to come. The saga of Kalabagh Dam is well known, however a number of small dams have been built in the past decade in Pakistan, which include Darawat Dam , Dandy Dam , Gomal Zam Dam, Satpara Dam etc.These dams are a good source of water for irrigation of land and also act as reservoirs to store water. A few Hydro- power plants have been built in recent past too such as Allai Khwar Hydro-power plant,  Neelum-Jhelum Hydro-power plant etc for the generation of electricity.

Pakistan is located at a very strategic landscape encompassing mountains, plains, forests and deserts. The mountains bring the Glaciers in the lime light as glaciers are one of the primary sources of water and Pakistan is considered to have abundance of glaciers (7253 known glaciers). Pakistan is further blessed to have four seasons and apart from them also faces a fifth season, monsoon, which brings plenty of rain. The Government of Pakistan must take advantage of glacier and monsoon season, and take effective measures to store and conserve water, as on the flip side, the glaciers and monsoon have resulted in floods in the past sometimes due to lack of preventive measures and infrastructure.

The most critical part of water crisis is the awareness for the conservation of water. The Government of Pakistan is urged to organize and administer water conservation campaigns in all cities of Pakistan. Through this manner, the Government and the public will join hands to combat the water crisis in their own spheres. The public on its part can start by implementing small changes for efficient use of water such as: turning off taps when water is not in use during shaving and brushing teeth, fixing leaky faucets/pipes on urgent basis, using broom to clean drive ways and garages instead of hoses, not watering lawn on daily basis but when required etc and on a larger scale  to recycle water such as routing water used in sink towards flushing toilets.   

The report that Pakistan will run out of water by year 2025 paints a very grim picture but Pakistan has seen many crisis in the past and is still encountering multiple crisis on many fronts, the water crisis being one of them. Pakistan has withstood natural calamities and internal conflicts. Pakistan is a country of Saints and Sufis. A lot of prayers are made for prosperity of Pakistan everyday. There are many talented, patriotic and dedicated Pakistanis within the ranks of Pakistan's establishment who work with sincere efforts to direct the country on the right track.

Collectively, with the joint efforts of Pakistani Government and Pakistani public, the water crisis can be handled effectively, with proper management and utilization of resources.

Pakistan's Electricity Crisis or is it Management Crisis ?

Pakistan's Electricity Crisis or is it Management Crisis ?


Pakistan has been mired by electricity shortage since decades now, the short fall increasing every year. The load-shedding phenomenon, taking households and business off the grid amounting to multiple hours everyday, has not only brought disastrous results to the economy of Pakistan but has also hammered the citizens badly in their daily routine and way of life. The citizens already combating with the stresses of water-shortage, are left stranded looking for other avenues for power generation in their homes. Few who can afford, use Generators running on petrol, diesel and gas to counter the energy crisis. Mostly use UPS (Uninterrupted Power supply) systems to at least keep the lights shining and fans sending waves of air in their homes. The majority who cannot afford either, spend their day on the mercy of the power companies.

The Solar-power revolution has been a costly enterprise with mixed results. The wind-turbines, almost all can be seen in the Sindh province, has brought some relief in that region, but the total power generation cannot meet the demand. Pakistan still relies on coal plants, however, the coal found inside Pakistan has to be refined to a certain standard of quality to be fully utilized for power generation in coal plants. The up-keep of dams, as in hydro energy as well as thermal power plants has been a factor amounting to rise in cost of electricity in Pakistan. The plans to import electricity inside Pakistan lay in papers only; from Tajikistan and Kyrgystan and so does the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project. It was expected that energy generation may get boosted through CPEC project, but that is yet to be seen. The nuclear power has seen employment more in weaponisation of missiles than to curb energy hardships faced by Pakistan..

All the above stated factors combined with natural calamities like earth quakes and floods etc, further deteriorate the situation, sometimes even damaging the power plants themselves apart from ruining the supply lines.

China, which is one of the largest producers of the electricity in the world, faces natural disasters like floods on a huge scale, yet retains the capacity to not only get its people to safety but manages to keep the power generation intact. If resources are to be considered, Pakistan has abundant manpower with respect to its area and retains capacity through use of diverse technologies (hydro, thermal, solar, wind, nuclear, coal) to tackle the electricity crisis.

Is it management? or do the priorities lie somewhere else?

No one wants to live in stone age for a dozen hours every day, it is the 21st century after all. While the world moves ahead towards developed societies, Pakistan must ensure that the electricity crisis doesn't become a thorn in the progress and development of the country. This matter has to be addressed on priority basis with the heat wave hitting the country in this warm season. The economy, which has seen a setback due to electricity crunch, needs to get back on road for a sturdy GDP and a prosperous Pakistan.