HYDERABAD: A World Bank report on Pakistan’s water situation said that per person availability in the country is relatively very low.
The report was shared at an event organized by the Sindh Water Sector Improvement Project, which functions under Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA).
“Water wastage is an issue and agricultural yields are low compared to most other countries,” the reported stated.
SIDA’s spokesman Hizbullah Mangrio said that climate change and trans-boundary issues are a significant encumbrance for Pakistan’s water sector. “The greatest challenges and opportunities are internal, not external, to Pakistan,” he added.
The report stated that improved water usage efficiency and productivity, water delivery in cities and to irrigation and environmental sustainability were the most important factors.
“While irrigation dominates water use in the country, the 4 major crops including rice, wheat, sugarcane and cotton use 80 per cent of water but contribute only 5 percent to Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” it observed, adding that the poor water management was conservatively estimated to cost 4 percent of GDP or around $12 billion per year.
The report further stated that poor sanitation and a lack of wastewater management cause water-borne diseases that kill 40,000 children every year.
It also raised alarm over the degradation of Indus delta, the rivers and lakes which undermine the important ecosystem services.
The report underlined that without reform, irrigation water use would limit water access by industry and services sectors and constrain the economic growth.
