1 TRANSMITTAL MESSAGE

April 23, 2012 Miss Fatima Faisal Bahria University Islamabad Dear Madam: I am going to discuss very major problem of Pakistan which is water crisis. Its not the problem of Pakistan only but its whole world issue now. The most part of the report consists of surveys, interview of a personality and observations. The main objectives of this report are to: 1. Review the policies and steps taken by government to reduce the problem of water in Pakistan. 2. What are the reasons of pollute water in rural areas, cold behavior of India on the issue of dams and diseases spreading due to water only. 3. Report to you about the solution of water problem and how can we improve the policies of government. Overall, this repot will provide you and other Bahrians enough information about reasons of water crisis in Pakistan, the reasons and about the solution of this problem. I hope youll find this repot satisfactory and more informative. Sincerely, Musab Umer BEE-2A 01-133112-065

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Water is an essential element for our survival. Land of Pakistan is blessed with fresh water, groundwater in form of rivers and lakes and underground water in form of wells but unfortunately, no proper policies for usage of water and contamination of lakes and rivers has increased in water-borne diseases and other health impacts. Availability of underground water in Pakistan decreased from 5,000 cubic per anum to 1,100. The principal source of drinking water for the majority of people in Pakistan is groundwater. About 80% of the Punjab has fresh groundwater, but in Sindh, less than 30% of groundwater is fresh. In NWFP, increasing abstraction has resulted in wells now reaching into saline layers, and much of Balochistan has saline groundwater. A national quality study was carried out by Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) in 2001. They collect samples from 21 cities, all samples of four cities and half the samples from seventeen cities indicated bacteriological contamination is industries, throwing their wastes into rivers. A recent study of eleven cities of Punjab shows an excess of arsenic and fluoride concentrations in the water supply systems of six cities; Multan, Bhawalpur, Shaikhupura, Kasur, Gujranwala, and Lahore (PCRWR 2004). Alarmingly, over 2 million people in these cities are drinking unsafe water, some with a high arsenic concentration. The government has launched two programs, the Clean Water Initiative (CDWI) and the Clean Drinking Water for All (CDWA) which encompasses 6,579 water treatment plants throughout the country. Other than these issues, the main issue which is arising now-a-days is Distribution of Water between Pakistan and India. New York Times says, it may cause a new war between Pakistan and India and it may also be cause of Third World War. Many people have different point of view about this topic. Whatever, the point of view a person is, it is decided that it should be solved by third person. This third person may be United Nations or any other.

3 Pakistan should also build some dams to store water it would help us not only to save water but through it we can also overcome on the energy crisis as well. Solution of this problem lies in the mutual understanding and mutual cooperation. Other vice it is a unsolvable problem. If India shows its bad behavior then Pakistan should do contact with International Court for his own right. On the other hand war is the last choice for Pakistan. If someone, Pakistan or India, did so then it would be a great threat only for both countries but also for the whole world. So this issue should be consider by our great politicians and government. There are a number of factors which need to be arise in order to improve, protect and maintain the quality of freshwater resources of the country. For example Policies for usage of water:

Government should strictly form the policies for the usage of water. Especially on public places such as railway stations, bus stops and other crowded places. On such places people use to waste water usually. Unregulated groundwater abstraction is the cause of water depletion. There are no rules and regulations for groundwater abstraction. Wastages, throwing by factories, are due to low priority of government. Land allocated to WASA, Lahore ,for waste treatment is now being disposed of to other organization for different purposes, which shows the level of interest of government authorities to clean water to save fresh water. Public awareness: A very important thing which is the responsibility of media. Media can play an important role to create awareness among the people by helding different programs and seminars. Strict Policies for India: Government priorities : Rules and regulation :

This point is also very important in order to save our water and to get our water from India. Government should took serious steps to refrain them to construct dams.

WATER CRISIS IN PAKISTAN Table of Content

Title

Page No.

Summary

ii

1- Introduction and background 2- Issues of Water in Pakistan 2.1- Water Availability 2.2- Water Consumption 2.3- Quality of Water 2.4- Indo-Pak crisis 3- Major Water Dependent Sectors of Pakistan 3.1- Industrial Sector 3.2- Agricultural Sector 3.3- Municipal Sector 4- Interviews 5- Conclusion and Recommendations 5.1- Conclusion 5.2- Recommendations 6- Glossary 7- Reference

1 3 3 4 4 6 8 8 9 9 10 12 12 13 14 15

1- INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND

Water is an essential element for the survival of all life. Unfortunately, while Pakistan is blessed with surface and groundwater resources, with the passage of time rapid population growth, urbanization and unsustainable water consumption practices in the agricultural and industrial sectors have placed great stress on the quality of water resources in the country.

According to the Pakistan Strategic Country Environmental Assessment Report 2006 (SCEA 2006), water availability in Pakistan has decreased from 5,000 (1951) to 1100 cubic meter per annum. The increasing gap between water supply and demand has led to severe water shortage in almost all Pakistan. As per Ministry of Environment, State of the Environment Report 2005 (SOE 2005), Pakistan stated a population growth rate of 1.9% in 2004. The estimated figures for 2010 reached at 173 million and for 2025 have reached 221 million. This data showing that availability of water will be decreased more than 1100 that is a great threat for living beings. Pakistan is already one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, a situation

6 which is going to degrade into outright water scarcity. We can recycle water through purification plants as many other countries are doing. Israel one of those countries, which are recycling water and the leading country in this aspect. Water crisis is not limited to the health related issues only but the issue of water with India is one of very important issues of Pakistan. India is blocking the water of Pakistan without any reason and taking advantages of it. Here, I would like to discuss background of the problem of water with India. Indus River and its tributaries are the life line of Pakistan. There are, however, Indo-Pakistan water concerns and water distribution complaints within Pakistan. The internal concerns were resolved through Water Accord 1991 amongst the provinces. The distribution of water of the Indus River system between Pakistan and India was settled through the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) of 1960. Ever since India has been building or planning big and small hydropower projects and reservoirs, numbering as many as 671, on the principal rivers Indus, Jhelum and Chenab that were allotted to Pakistan under the IWT. For instance, there is the Kishenganga dam, the Tulbul dam (Wullar barrage) and the Uri-II hydroelectric plant on River Jhelum; Baglihar, Salal and Bursar dams on River Chenab; and Kargil dam, Nimmo Bazgo hydroelectric project on River Indus and Chutak hydroelectric plant on a tributary of Indus. These can cause major water shortages in Pakistan in times to come. For these reasons, Pakistan should be taken into confidence when such projects are being planned to ensure that they do not violate the IWT. There is no alternative but to settle mutual concerns through dialogue and consultation with a neighbour.

2- ISSUES OF WATER IN PAKISTAN In current situation of Pakistan, we are facing a lot of problems of water. The thing which is disturbed due to this issue is HEALTH of citizens. The sector which is extremely destroyed is AGRICULTURAL sector. The main issues of water in Pakistan are Limited Water, Demand of water, and Water quality. The brief description about these issues is described below: 2.1 Water Availability: Water availability on a per capita basis has been declining at an alarming rate. It has been decreased from about 5,000 cubic meters per capita in 1951 to about 1,100 cubic metes currently, as described above. If we see the condition of different provinces, we came to know that Punjab is luckier than other provinces. About 80% of Punjab has fresh groundwater, with some saline water in the south and in desert areas. In Sindh, less than 30% of groundwater is fresh. Much of the province is underlain by highly brackish water and some instances of elevated fluoride levels. In NWFP, increasing abstraction has resulted in wells now reaching into saline layers, and much of Balochistan also has saline groundwater (Pak-SCEA 2006). Source of water is different is different provinces. It is worse in Balochistan and NWFP. Punjab has the best rural water supply amongst the provinces. The situation in Sindh is

8 considerably worse: some 24% of the rural population depend on sources like dug and well. The situation in rural Sindh also appears to have deteriorated. The rural water supply situation in NWFP is worse still, and is worst of all in Balochistan.
There is an urgent need to develop policies for bringing water withdrawals into balance with recharge.

Per Capita Water Availability

Year Population (million) 34 Per Capita Availability (m3) 5300

1951 1961 1971 1981 1991 2000 2013 2025 2.2 Water Consumption:

46 65 84 115 148 207 267

3950 2700 2100 1600 1200 850 659

National Water Policy (NWP) says, irrigation uses about 93% of the water currently utilized in Pakistan. The rest is used for supplies to urban and rural populations and industry. Pakistans population will be 221 million in year 2025, the percentage of water required, specially for rural areas is need to be increased dramatically. Pakistans Water Scenario
Year 2004 2025

Availability Requirement Overall shortfall

104 MAF 115 MAF 11 MAF

104 MAF 135 MAF 31 MAF

Source: Ten Year Perspective Development Plan 2001-11, Planning Commission It is observed that the expanding imbalance between supply and demand has led to water shortages. So there is a need to solve this problem by initiating policies.

2.3 Quality of water:

Domestic waste containing household effluent and human waste is either discharged directly to a sewer system, a natural drain or water body, a nearby field or an internal septic tank. It is estimated that only some 8% of urban wastewater is treated in municipal treatment plants. The treated wastewater generally flows into open drains, 4 and there are no provisions for reuse of the treated wastewater for agriculture or other municipal uses. Table below shows ten large urban centers of the country, which produce more than 60% of the total urban wastewater including household, industrial and commercial wastewater. Another important aspect is that there is very little separation of municipal wastewater from industrial effluent in Pakistan. Both flow directly into open drains, which then flow into nearby natural water bodies. There is no regular monitoring programme to assess the water quality of the surface and groundwater bodies. There is also no regular monitoring of drinking water quality. A national water quality study was carried out by the Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources 5 (PCRWR) in 2001. In the first phase of the programme, covering 21 cities, all samples from four cities, and half the samples from seventeen cities indicated bacteriological contamination. In addition, arsenic above the WHO limit of 10 ppb was found in some samples collected from eight cities. The same study also indicated how the uncontrolled discharge of industrial effluent has affected surface and groundwater, identifying the presence of lead, chromium and cyanide in groundwater samples from industrial areas of Karachi, and finding the same metals in the Malir and Lyari rivers flowing through Karachi and discharging into the Arabian Sea. A second PCRWR study was launched in 2004, and preliminary results indicate no appreciable improvement, while a separate study reported that in Sindh almost 95% of shallow groundwater supplies are bacteriologically contaminated.

Wastewater Produced Annually by Towns and Cities

City

Urban population 5,143,495 2,008,861 1,1132,509 1,409,786

Lahore Faisalabad Gujranwala Rawalpindi

Total wastewater produced(million m3/y) 287 129 71 40

% of total

% of treated 0.01 25.6 _ _

Receiving water body River Ravi River Ravi, River Chenab SCARP drain River Soan

12.5 5.6 3.1 1.8

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Sialkot Karachi

713,552 9,339,023

19 604

0.8 26.3

_ 15.9

River Ravi Arabian Sea

Due to wastewater, throwing of it in rivers and canals is a big threat for the sea animals as well as for wild animals. They may be lost for ever if the environmental devastation due to water shortage is not reversed or properly controlled. So there is a need to control it.

2.4 Indo-Pak water crisis: Now a days, India is trying to make Pakistan desert. It is out major problem but the major problem of Pakistan. Pakistan came into being since 1947 and now it is 2012. From the very first day of Pakistan, India is trying to destroy it and they dont leave any single opportunity to destroy Pakistan. 1948 first war fought between Pakistan and India. Then 1965 and 1971 are some examples of enmity of India for Pakistan. Now the new issue is on water. India is building new dams in the way of Pakistan water, which is totally against the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). IWT is the treaty between both countries of the issue of water. Detailed introduction of IWT is given below: The Pakistani concern involves six rivers that flow into Pakistan through northern India, including the disputed state of Jammu & Kashmir and the state of Punjab, both of which have been ideologically divided between India and Pakistan since 1947. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, disagreements began to arise over sharing of river waters, leading to the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, an attempt at a resolution brokered by the World Bank. Though the treaty is perhaps the most enduring pact between the two nuclear powers, it is coming under increasing strain. Under the pact, the waters of three rivers - the Indus, the Chenab and the Jhelum, which pass through Jammu & Kashmir - are to be used by Pakistan, while India has rights to the waters of the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi before these three enter Pakistani territory. The

11 Chenab is the key tributary, as it carries the waters of the rest four rivers into the Indus. The complicated origins of the Indus river system plays a key role in the water debates, as the rivers originate in and pass through a number of countries. According to the Indus Water Treaty, the following three rivers are for use by Pakistan: The Indus River: originates in Chinese-controlled Tibet and flows through Jammu & Kashmir. The Chenab: originates in Indias Himachal Pradesh state, travels through Jammu & Kashmir. The Jhelum: rises in Jammu & Kashmir and flows into Pakistan, finally joining Chenab. The Treaty affords India use of the following three rivers: The Sutlej: originates in Tibet, flows through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab before joining the Chenab. The Beas and the Ravi: originate in Himachal Pradesh state and flow into Pakistan, emptying into the Chenab. Taking into account the flow of the rivers, the importance of the Chenab and the Indus becomes clear. The Chenab combines the waters of four rivers, the Jhelum, the Sutlej, the Beas and the Ravi, to form a single water system which then joins the Indus in Pakistan. The Indus River is considered to be the lifeline of Pakistani economy and livestock. First dam constructed by Indian government in the way of Pakistan water was Baglihar dam. The work started on it in 1990 and end in 2008. After this a number of dams built by India without any hesitation and resistance. In 2003, Pakistan formally served a final notice to the Indian government, urging it to resolve the Baglihar issue by December 31, 2003, a process that failed to yield results. In 2005, Pakistan approached the World Bank for mediation. The World Bank noted that it was "not a guarantor of the treaty," but had the authority to appoint a neutral expert. In 2007, the appointed neutral expert Professor Raymond Lafitte of Switzerland delivered a verdict rejecting most of the Pakistani objections. However, Professor Lafitte did require India to make some minor changes, including reducing the dams height by 1.5. Although bitter feelings and heated public debates are likely to persist in the years ahead, the people and leadership of Pakistan generally accept that there is nothing that Pakistan can do, especially in light of the judgment delivered in February 2007 by the World Bankappointed neutral expert Professor Raymond Lafitte. In late June 2009, Pakistani Water and Power Minister Raja Parvez Ashraf observed that India does have a right to build dams, but that it cannot stop the flow of water into Pakistan in order to fill the dams. I think Pakistan need to go again in court against India otherwise it would be difficult for both countries.

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3 MAJOR WATER DEPENDENT SECTORS OF PAKISTAN 3.1 Industrial Sector:

The contamination of shallow groundwater near industrial plants has 6 been an area of concern as groundwater pollution is often long-term and it may take hundreds or even thousands of years for pollutants such as toxic metals from the tanneries to be flushed out of a contaminated aquifer. In Pakistan, only 1% of wastewater is treated by industries before being discharged directly into rivers and drains. For example in NWFP, 80,000 m3 of industrial effluents containing a very high level of pollutants are discharged every day into the river Kabul causing observable incidence of skin diseases, decrease in agricultural productivity and decrease in fish population (SOE 2005). The leather tanneries are another major source of large-scale water pollution. The construction of a common wastewater treatment plant in the Korangi industrial area, in Karachi, co-financed by the government (export promotion council) and the embassy of Netherlands, was started by the tanneries jointly in 2003. Out of 170 tanneries concerned, 85 are not part of this scheme. Another source of water pollution is the textile industry. Due to its size, it is at the top of the list in terms of generating environmentally damaging pollutants.

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Throughout Pakistan, the industrial approach towards environment is the same; In Lahore, only 3 out of some 100 industries using hazardous chemicals treat their wastewater. Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels in water courses receiving these wastes are as high as 800mg/l and Mercury levels over 5 mg/l. Consequently hundreds of tons of fish are killed causing a loss of millions of rupees. In Faisalabad, one of the biggest industrial cities, there is little segregation of domestic and industrial wastes. Groundwater is being polluted and its salinity level is increasing. Industrial wastewater including toxic chemicals, organic matter and heavy metals is discharged directly into public sewers without prior treatment. There is reported leaching of wastes into groundwater causing outbreaks of water borne diseases. There is, however, a waste stabilization pond treatment plant, treating some 20mg/day of flow, but its operational efficiency is not known as there is no regular monitoring. (WB-CWRAS Paper 8, 2005) In Multan, a fertilizer factory discharges its waste untreated to cultivated land causing death of livestock and increasing health risk to humans.

3.2 Agricultural Sector:

According to the information provided in the National Water Policy (NWP), the irrigation network of Pakistan is the largest infrastructural enterprise accounting for approximately $ 300 billion of investment (at current rates) and contributing nearly 25% to the country's GDP. Irrigated agriculture provides 90 % of food and fibre requirements while "barani" (rain fed) area contributes the remaining 10 % . In addition to the study of PCRWR on groundwater contamination due to pesticides and fertilizers mentioned earlier under section 2.3, another study by WAPDA on the situation of pollutants in the drainage system of Pakistan was conducted in April 2004. The study revealed that in Punjab all drains were carrying saline and sodic waters due to high values of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) or Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR) and all of them also had very high values for Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD). The data for Sindh and Balochistan showed that majority of drains had very high saline waters due to high values of TDS and in Shahdad Kot drain this reached as high as 13,187ppm during 2002. In addition, the COD values were higher than the permissible limits and at some sampling points these even surpassed the high levels recorded for Punjab and NWFP. The contribution of agricultural drainage to the overall contamination of the water resources exists but is marginal compared to the industrial and domestic pollution. For example, in Sindh, the pollution of water due to irrigation is only 3.21% of the total pollution.

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3.3 Municipal Sector:

Most surface water pollution is associated with urban centres. Typically, nullahs and storm water drains collect and carry untreated sewage which then flows into streams, rivers and irrigation canals, resulting in widespread bacteriological and other contamination. It has been estimated that around 2,000 million gallons of sewage is being discharged to surface water bodies every day. Although there are some sewerage collection systems, typically discharging to the nearest water body, collection levels are estimated to be no greater than 50% nationally (less than 20% in many rural areas), with only about 10% of collected sewage effectively treated. Although treatment facilities exist in about a dozen major cities, in some cases these have been built without the completion of associated sewerage networks, and the plants are often either under loaded or abandoned. In effect, only a few percent of the total wastewater generated receives adequate treatment before discharge to the waterways.

4 INTERVIEWS
I reached the office of WWF and took an interview of a senior worker about the water pollution and issues of water in Pakistan. The brief detail of the worker is given below:

Name: Kashif Gill Qualification: MSc. (Space Science) Institute: Punjab University Lahore Personal Experience: 10 years Company Name: WWF

Now the brief introduction of the company is given below:

Established: 1970 Braches In Pakistan: 31 Staff Members: 340 Head Office: Lahore

15 Purpose: To Serve Nature Official Website: http://www.wwfpak.org

I held an interview in which I asked some questions and brief detail about the whole topic. Her interview as a whole given below:

I think Pakistan is one of those countries which are doing nothing special on government
level. The main issues are water availability and its quality. The very first thing is more than 70% people are not getting water in proper way. Many rural areas are still using wells and canals to get water which are the cause of many problems. Many people are getting water but the quality of water is below average, which also cause many skin infections. Even in Islamabad clean water in many areas in not available. Almost every country is trying to save and clean water Israel one of those and doing a lot of work on the cleanliness of water. The basic thing which can be done without the help of government or aids is that we can create awareness by using media, all types of media, you are writing a report so, you are also creating awareness among people. The main source of awareness is Electronic media and in electronic media T.V. is the most important source of creating awareness among people even ignorant. T.V. is the main source because every house, now-a-days, have a T.V. There should also a chapter in childs book about the importance of water and how should we use it. We should also teach them what are the threats about the water in coming years and these threats may defeat them. If well not do this today, then these children will say that our teachers are the responsible of it. She also gave some other recommendations which I have discussed in above with detail.

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5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion: Issues of water in Pakistan has discussed in above which were Water availability, water consumption, water quality and issue of water with India. Standard availability of water in Pakistan can be asked by those people who are living in rural areas. There are only few people who are getting water from reliable source, through pipes or motors, other people are still using wells and canals to get water. Water consumption means use of water for different purposes like we use water in industries, municipals and agriculture. Our industries are using clean water and make it dirty and then through that dirty water in rivers and canals. It is not in Pakistan only but it is the world whole problem. Our municipals are also doing the same thing; they suck water from gutters and from sewerage pipes and then throw this water in rivers, canals or in grounds. This may cause serious problems for human beings like skin infections and many others. We are using water in agriculture, which is the basic need for us. Water, which we use in agriculture, may also cause many problems. Chemical spry, use in fields, flow with water and reach nearest rivers or canals. If there is no river and canals then these chemicals mix

17 with underground water and cause many problems for the people who are using underground water for drinking purposes. Issue of water with India is that India is blocking the way of water, flowing from India to Pakistan, by constructing dams. Which may cause of many problems such as people of Punjab may face hungriness. Not only this but Punjab is also exporting many things, for which water is essential, otherwise that can not be produced. In such situation Pakistan would not be able to export things which can disturb Pakistans economy. So, there is a need to do for this on urgent basis. Pakistan ones again should knock the door of World Court for justice otherwise it may cause world war 3.

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS:
Here I would like to give some recommendations to improve the policies about water. Otherwise, it will be the cause of many problems. i- Government Priorities: As evident from the information presented in the report, the treatment of sewage and industrial effluents seems to be a low priority with the Government. According to reliable sources about 7,200 kanals of land allocated to WASA Lahore for wastewater treatment has remained vacant and not been used for the purpose. WASA is now disposing of that land to other organizations for different purposes.
ii- Rules and Regulations:

Unregulated groundwater abstraction as discussed earlier is the cause of water depletion. Unfortunately there are no clear guidelines, rules and regulations for groundwater abstraction. In additions, surprisingly, there are no surface water classification standards in the country. Such rules and regulations have to be established at the earliest. A recent case where a bottled water company was stopped by our courts from setting up their unit due to risk of excessive groundwater extraction near Karachi is to be appreciated. iii- Weak Law Enforcement & Compliance: Even when there are relevant laws in the country like PEPA 1997, their enforcement is extremely weak and therefore the level of compliance is low particularly in the industrial

18 and housing sector. There is a need to develop some sort of integrated land use planning to regulate particularly the housing sector. Weak enforcement of law can also be judged with the fact that environmental tribunals are not even functional in the country. Strong law enforcement and compliance is necessary for the protection of freshwater resources. iv- Water Policy: Although relevant policies like National Environment Policy, National Water Policy (Draft), National Drinking Water Policy (Draft) etc. are in place, there is no clear strategy devised so far to implement them. A clear and practical strategy needs to be defined to implement these policies.

6-GLOSSARY

BOD: Biological Oxygen Demand COD: Chemical Oxygen Demand IWT: Indus Water Treaty MAF: Million Acre Feet NWP: National Water Policy PCRWR: Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources RSC: Residual Sodium Carbonate SAR: Sodium Absorption Ratio

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SOE: State of the Environment Report (Draft) 2005 SCEA: Strategic Country Environmental Assessment Report TDS: Total Dissolved Solids WB: World Bank WAPDA: Water And Power Development Authority

BIBLIOGRAPHY WWF research paper of 2005 Water Quality Status Third Report 2003-2004, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), 2005

Background Paper # 8 by Khurram Shahid Drinking Water and Sanitation Sector Review of Policies and Performance and Future Options for Improving Service Delivery Country Water Resources Assistance Strategy March, 2005

National Environmental Policy 2005, Ministry of Environment, Government of

Pakistan

http://www.asiawaterwire.net/node/243

http://www.usaid.gov/stories/pakistan/fp_pakistan_water.html

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www.pakistan.gov.pk/ministries/environment-ministry/media/mtdf.htm

http://www.wwfpak.org/

http://ipripak.org/