PESHAWAR, Feb 22: By the next 15 years the per capita water availability in the country would go down to less than subsistence level in view of the decreasing sub-soil water level, provincial government functionaries told Dawn.

Sub-soil water availability in Pakistan, according to the provincial government sources, has dropped from 5,300 cubic meter per person per annum 50 years ago to 1,100 cubic meter per person per annum at present.

“After the next 15 years these figures would stand at 600 cubic meter water per person per annum in view of the alarmingly decrease in sub-soil water level in Pakistan,” said the sources.

Though the per capita per year water available in Pakistan is also much less than the international standards, the situation would be much more worrisome after 15 years when the availability of water would go down to 600 cubic meter water per person per annum - much less than the per capita subsistence level.

According to experts, as per the international standards an individual needs 1700 cubic meter water per year.

The situation has become so serious that officials and even the ministers have now become vocal to air their concerns over the situation.

“Pakistan is facing severe shortage of water,” admitted the provincial Minister for Irrigation and Power, Mr Shamsul Mulk, while speaking at a function a couple of days back here.

Given that over-exploitation of the water resource is not controlled by avoiding misuse of the same, the decreasing sub-soil water level is, apparently, going to aggravate the current conflict on water shortage among the provinces.

Officials talked to by this scribe believed that there was an emergent need to have a proper and effective conflict resolution mechanism to meet the future challenges the country is likely to face owing to depleting sub-soil water resources.