Water Scarcity; A Biggest Threat to Pakistan – By: Malyka Safdar
Water scarcity is, without a doubt, Pakistan’s most serious issue. By 2025, the country will have severe water scarcity, and within two decades, it would be the most water-stressed country in South Asia. Nearly 30 million Pakistanis do not have access to safe drinking water. People in Pakistan are already feeling the effects of the water shortage. In Pakistan, 80 percent of residents in 24 large cities lack access to safe drinking water. 16 million people in Karachi’s slums do not have access to running water. There is no such thing as a global water crisis, but global water consumption has grown at twice the pace of population over the previous century, leaving a handful of localities and areas chronically short of water. Many sections of the world, including China, India, Pakistan, the Middle East, and various African countries and territories, are seeing an increase in water scarcity. Pakistan is expected to encounter numerous challenges as a result of its water scarcity.
God’s gift of water is undervalued. It is one among the world’s most valuable resources. More than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and about 3 billion face water scarcity for at least one month each year. Water makes up around 60% of our body weight, and we can’t go more than a week without it. But, as we look around, we have to ask ourselves, “What are we doing?” Is it good or harmful for our children. Water is not only necessary for life on the planet, but it is also extremely beneficial. We drink it, bathe in it, clean with it, play in it (or on it in colder climates), find beauty in it, travel on it, and receive energy from it. Water regulates the earth’s temperature, offers a home for the seafood we consume, and is required for the production of all of our foods. These are only a few of the many uses of water. Water scarcity is defined as a lack of appropriate available water resources to meet the demands within a region, whether natural or produced by humans. Water is distributed in an uneven manner over time and place. Much of it has been squandered, polluted, and mismanaged.
Water shortages are caused by a variety of factors, including the decrease of water quality, which contributes to the problem. Water pollution has negative environmental implications, such as making water unsafe to drink or use and reducing accessible water supplies. As a result, pollution has emerged as one of the most serious concerns to the availability and reuse of water. Fertilizers and pesticides, soil depletion, and inadequate waste management all wreak havoc on accessible freshwater supplies.
Another major factor contributing to water scarcity is the overuse of water resources. Inadequate water resource management results in a lot of wasted water, whether it’s for agriculture (which utilises 70% of the world’s accessible freshwater), industrial activity, or home consumption. Considering the fact that are wasting more water than ever before, this causes a lot of “stress” on the amount of available water resources. Over the last 50 years, the world’s population has doubled and continues to grow. As a result, the use of water to drink, cook and meet other needs has tripled. As the global population is expected to boom in the coming decades, water resources need to be managed more efficiently.
This problem leaves a serious impact on country. Apart from dehydration due to the obvious lack of drinking water, hunger is one the most serious effect of water scarcity. Why? Water shortages have a direct impact on crops and livestock, which can lead to food shortages and eventually starvation. As well, because of water shortages some people cannot shower, wash their clothes or clean their homes properly. In the poorest countries, some children can’t go to school, because they are either too sick or they have to walk for a long time to reach a water source. Even when they can attend, many children cannot learn because of their fatigue, heavy responsibilities and worries for their families.
Water scarcity causes sanitary issues by pushing people to drink contaminated water. When water is scarce, individuals tend to store it at home, increasing the risk of domestic water contamination and providing breeding grounds for mosquitos that spread dengue and malaria. Other diseases caused by a lack of water include trachoma (an eye infection that can lead to blindness), plague, and typhus. Scarcity of water has a variety of negative consequences for rivers, lakes, and other freshwater resources. Increased salinity, nutrient contamination, and the loss of floodplains and wetlands are just a few of the ways it impacts the environment. Water scarcity puts ecosystems and biodiversity (such as freshwater fish) in jeopardy.
There are a few options for conserving water and reducing your carbon footprint. This could imply conserving water, avoiding the use of washing machines, and opting for short showers rather than long baths. Try to conserve water even if you are on vacation in a country where water is limited. Additionally, you should strive to persuade your family and friends to conserve water. It’s worth saving whenever and whenever you can. There are numerous resources available to help people learn more about the world around them. Educating individuals who are not affected by water scarcity can enable them to assist.
Those who are suffering with it can learn ways to prevent the problem from getting any worse in the future. Water conservation has seen a lot of progress, but there is still much more work to be done to ensure that the rest of the globe can preserve water. Investing time and money in conservation could save lives. We must all recognize the importance of water and work together to conserve it for our own benefit. On the other side, the government must express concern about the problem and invest in the construction of dams around the country.
