Pakistan's water shortage, and the next great war

Sarah Farid in the Express Tribune (Pakistan) paints an alarming picture of Pakistan's water security and the role it could play in relations with India: …After torrential rains and flooding occured, the mighty Indus swelled to the highest water level it had reached in 110 years. Millions were displaced and billions of dollars were lost. It is unfeasible for the country to immediately reverse the damage. An effective water management strategy is needed to store excess water and protect us against droughts or floods. This was last year’s scenario.

A repeat performance can be expected any time, this year, the next, or the year after that. Who can really predict the future? But we can prepare for it. Experts say this is only the start of a trend that is likely to continue over decades. To stem the flow of the tide and convert the threat into an opportunity, Pakistan needs to step up — fast. Complacence has a heavy price attached to its head.

…For the second time since the Indus Water Treaty was drafted in 1960, Pakistan has challenged India over its constructions of dams. Alarm and concern has been in the air alongside efforts to thwart India’s plans. Under the treaty, India gets exclusive control of the Eastern Rivers — the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi. Pakistan maintains exclusive control over the Western Rivers — the Indus, the Jhelum and the Chenab. The Kishanganga dam project will divert waters from the Jhelum into India’s own fields, making 5.6 million acres of land in Pakistan-owned Punjab barren. Taking this to international agencies for arbitration to stop this dam has not proved fruitful as India is proceeding with its 330-megawatt hydro-electric project.

…With the 2011 monsoon season around the corner, one can only hope for the best. The point to note here is not that climate change should be highlighted more but that for once brainstorming to produce a national strategy should be done by individuals on a level where there is a clear understanding of issues.

…Prevention is better than cure, says an old adage. Yet the Pakistani nation remains attuned to slumber until disaster shocks them into wakefulness. Preemptive attempts are lost in translation — during the overheated debates of the elite, amongst the corrupt practices of the powerful or somewhere in the grueling workload of the impoverished….

A photograph of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the River Narmada, India, showing the principal spillway and construction underway for increasing the height. Shot by AceFighter19, Wikimedia Commons