HYDERABAD: Speakers at a seminar urged Pakistan and India to hold dialogue for the resolution of nagging water conflicts and said the thorny issue could be settled through amicable water governance and lead to a friendly environment between the neighbouring countries.

They were reading papers on ‘Water issues in Pakistan — conflicts and resolutions’ held at Gender Resource Centre, Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Tandojam, on Friday.

The seminar was jointly organised by SAU, Indus Consortium, Centre for Social Change and Sindh Agricultural Forestry Workers Coordinating Organisation (SAFWCO).

The term water governance refers to political, social, economic and administrative systems in place that influence use of water and its management and determine who gets water, when and how, and who has the right to water and related services, and their benefits.

Harris Kuemmerele, a key speaker from Kings College, London, said the rivers entering Pakistan shared water with India and Afghanistan. Water governance might be a solution within provinces. Pakistan and India must keep talking for the resolution of their water conflicts to make a friendly environment between the neighbouring countries, he said.

He shed light on the 1991 Water Accord and said the pact had resolved the water issue within provinces. Sindh was facing water scarcity according to his understanding of surface and underground water status in the province, he said.

Zulfiqar Halepoto, social activist and researcher, said that it was the responsibility of the state to take appropriate measures and adopt a workable policy for the resolution of water conflicts at national and international level.

SAU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujeebuddin Memon said: “Pakistan is dependent on a single river, Indus. The river not only feeds irrigation canals and other sources but contributes to maintain wider ecosystems, wetlands and overall environment and well-being of the nation”.

This dependence on a single river system meant that it had little of the leverage that most countries enjoyed by virtue of having a multiplicity of river basins and diversity of water resources, he said.

He said that a collective approach was needed to bring together individuals and corporate citizens to stay engaged with decision-makers regarding rational and responsible use of water.

He said that industries, agriculturalists and corporations must adopt pollution control, micro-irrigation, recycling and reuse of water on a bigger scale. Once it was demonstrated on a larger scale it would surely have a trickledown effect and bring prosperity to community level, which would certainly contribute to national economy as well, he said.

SAU director Dr Mohammad Ismail Kumbhar said: “Pakistan is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world where the situation was leading to the worst water scarcity, which needs to be addressed through policy mechanism with participation of all stakeholders”.

“Presently, the Indus does not have water to save agriculture and address the growing needs of drinking of water, as growers as well as communities are protesting against water scarcity,” he said.

He hoped that this workshop would help the stakeholders come up with proper suggestions and recommendations to develop future strategies for water sector.

Abdul Ghafoor Bhatti from Badin and Kiltar Gul from Tharparkar districts also shared their knowledge and community perspective on the issue.

Towards the conclusion of the seminar, students posed questions to speakers about water availability, climate change, the causes of water scarcity and its impacts on agriculture, sources of living, ecosystems and health of wetlands, which also provided source of living to hundreds of community people of the province.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2017