0verpopulation intensifies water scarcity in KP amid rising temperature; urgent need for new dams emphasized
PESHAWAR (APP): Pakistan’s burgeoning population, which surpassed the 241 million mark this year, is increasingly straining the nation’s water and agriculture resources, exacerbating existing challenges especially the food and water sector in the wake of climate change.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly in Nowshera, Peshawar, and Charsadda, residents are facing deteriorated water quality after 2022 devastating floods that have severely impacted groundwater, leaving people of many areas to drink unsafe water.
Despite experiencing 22 significant floods over the past 55 years, Pakistan has made little progress in constructing small, medium, or large dams, which could help mitigate water scarcity and reduce flood risks during monsoon.
Kamal Khan, a poor former from village Mohib Banda of Nowshera district shared his daily struggle of traveling 10 kilometers to fetch clean drinking water due to the contamination of groundwater in his village. Many others residents of nearby towns in the region face similar challenges, relying on water sources in urban areas of Pabbi Nowshera, Charssdda and Peshawar for potable water.
Malik Riaz Khan, a senior children’s specialist at the Government Hospital Pabbi Nowshera, highlighted the health risks associated with contaminated water, including diarrhea, cholera, and other waterborne diseases.
He warned that polluted water also contributes to stunted growth and malnutrition among children and lactating mothers.
Professor (r) Dr. Zilakat Malik from the University of Peshawar pointed out that Pakistan ranks 14th out of 170 countries with extremely high water risk.
He noted that the population is expected to exceed 400 million by 2050, while water demand is projected to reach 274 million acre-feet (MAF) against a supply of 191 MAF by 2025 whereas water availability per capita has plummeted from 5,229 cubic meters in 1962.
He claimed that the country treats about one percent of wastewater, which was one of the lowest rates in globe and around 40 percent of water was lost due to spillage, seepage, side leakage, and bank cuttings along with irregular profiling of alignment of banks.
Approximately, 97 percent of Pakistan’s freshwater is used by agriculture sector and additionally 30 percent of land is expected to be waterlogged while 13 percent to saline in next few years if new dams were not constructed on priority basis in Pakistan with high chances of floods due to fast melting of glaciers due to global warming.
Gulzar Rehman, former Conservator of Forest said non construction of dams after Turbela had negatively impacted on water situation in the country.
He said, about 46,000 dams had been constructed across the globe including 22,104 dams by China, 5,334 by India, but unfortunately, Pakistan had built only about 150 small and large dams since its inception.
“Small dams could easily be constructed in KP in a short span of three years while big dams mostly require 10 to 15 years with more investment,” he said, adding Pakistan would require additional 76 MAF water by 2050 which was only possible by constructing small dams to meet the growing water demand.
The National Water Policy (NWP) 2018 had revealed that Pakistan was heading towards a situation of water shortage due to lack of dams, which may lead to food insecurity for all living creatures in next few years.
According to the policy, the per capita surface water availability had significantly declined from 5,260 cubic meters per year in Pakistan in 1951 to around 1,000 cubic meters in 2016. This quantity is likely to further drop to 860 cubic meters by next few years, marking the country’s transition from a water stressed to a water scarce.
Small dams were being preferred mostly in developing countries like SAARC for irrigation of agriculture and drinking water because it is cost & time efficient and do not require foreign investment compared to big dams, he said adding small dams can easily be constructed in two to three years while big dams mostly require 10 to 15 years.
The spokesman of Directorate of Small Dams KP told APP that 56 small dams at a cost of Rs26.7 billion having a storage capacity of 281,410 acre feet were completed in KP, adding that 30 more small dams would be completed soon at a cost of Rs43.6 billion.
As many as 18 dam projects were settled and 12 for tribal districts besides 14 small dam projects were in final stages that would be completed in the current year.
These include Khattak Banda Dam in Kohat, Makh Banda and Latambar dams in Karak, Jaroba Dam in Nowshera and Pezu Dam in Lakki Marwat. Similarly, 14 small dams could store 46,400 acres feet of water and would irrigate 34,000 acres of land.
Besides completion of 108MW Golen Gol dam in Chitral, the federal government had accelerated work on Mohmand dam of 800MW with 1.293 MAF water storage capacity that after completion would supplement/irrigate 160,000 acres land and about 18,237 acres of new land with annual benefits of Rs2.23 billion.
Likewise, 300 million gallons water per day will also be provided to Peshawar for drinking purpose with benefits of Rs.957 million from Mohmand dam.
Peshawar, Charsadda and Nowshera would be saved from floods after construction of Mohmand dam having an annual benefits in terms of flood mitigation was estimated at Rs1.467 billion. It would produce 2.86 billion units of environment-friendly electricity to the National Grid every year with annual revenue of Rs. 45.76 billion while its overall annual benefits stand at Rs 51 billion.
These mega projects after completion would hopefully help address water scarcity problems besides countering food security challenges in the wake of population explosion.
