HYDERABAD, March 29: The Vice-Chancellor of the Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro, Dr A.Q.K. Rajput, has said that hydrological imbalance is causing water-logging and salinity in the country in general and the lower Indus region in particular.

He stressed the need for providing accurate information to people and educating them about the importance and urgency of preserving available water resources.

He was delivering a lecture in connection with the World Water Day organized by the Institute of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering here on Tuesday.

“Weather, climate and water resources can have a devastating impact on socio-economic development and on the well-being of humankind”, Mr Rajput said.

He said according to the World Meteorological Organization weather and climate-related extreme events, such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, cyclones, floods and drought, account for nearly 75 per cent of all disasters.

“They lead to an enormous toll of human suffering, loss of life and economic damage” he added.

“Monitoring these events, predicting their movements and issuing timely warnings are essential to mitigate disastrous impact of such events on population and economy,” Dr Rajput said.

He said water was very essential to life but still over one billion people lack access to safe water, nearly two billion lack safe sanitation and more than three million people still die every year from avoidable water-related diseases.

Explaining the difference between a crisis and a disaster, Dr Rajput said, in a crisis you need to take urgent action but after a disaster you were picking up the pieces.