PAKISTAN is at number 36 in the list of most water-stressed countries. Its per capita annual water availability dropped from 5,600 cubic metres in the 1950s to 1,017 cubic metres at present. It will soon become a water scarce country if proper resource management and legislative and institutional measures are not put in place.

Groundwater is our main source of drinking water. It services about 40 per cent of the total irrigation water demands. Ninety per cent of Pakistan’s water resources are allocated to irrigation and agricultural needs, which contribute 25pc of the country’s gross domestic product and employs around 44pc of the labour force.

Groundwater extraction was initiated not to supplement surface water resources but to combat rising water tables and water logging and salinity problems. In 1960, groundwater accounted for only eight per cent of the farm gate water supplies in Punjab. By 1985 it had gone up to 40pc. The area irrigated by groundwater alone has increased from 2.7 million to 3.4 million whereas the area irrigated by canal water has decreased to 6.9 million from 7.9 million.

The unregulated and uncontrolled use of ground water has created a situation where the extraction rate far exceeds the replenishment rate. Surface water withdrawals account for about 74pc of the total surface water available, while groundwater withdrawal accounts for 83pc of total available renewable groundwater. A continuous decline in the groundwater table has been observed in many areas of Punjab and Balochistan.

Groundwater management has been neglected on the misconception that there is an abundance of it. Unprecedented ground water exploitation has led to its depletion as well as the deterioration of the overall water quality, as falling water tables lead to deteriorating quality. Owing to excessive pumping, the downward gradients are increasing as well as inducing salt water intrusion into fresh groundwater areas.

The problem of declining ground water resources is likely to exacerbate with the advent of climate change and rural-urban migration. The country will suffer if a national policy and development strategy and laws to manage water use are not formulated soon.

Abu Rehan

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2017