WATER CRISIS
THE DRIVING FORCE OF NATURE
Leonardo DA Vince aptly summed up water’s importance for us when he said; water is the driving force of all nature.
Around the globe a water crisis is underway, some countries are feeling its impact as we speak, a large majority have opted the pigeon way of dealing with the issue while a handful are trying to look for a solution.
Approximately, one billion people around the world don’t have access to clean drinking water and the majority of this population resides in the developing countries.
Pakistan is a water stressed country with access to clean water expected to decrease over the coming decades, therefore finding ways to conserve freshwater is central for the country and its people. Per capita water availability of Pakistan is 964 cubic meters, which is less than the threshold of 1,000 cubic meters for water scarcity.
As per Asian Development Bank’s 2013 report, Pakistan stands on 5th position among the top ten ‘Water Insecure’ countries. In 2015, UN findings suggest that within next ten years in forty-eight countries, an approximate of 2.9 billion people will face water shortages to the extent of destabilizing these countries and in some cases even jeopardizing the existence of some of these states. Pakistan is on the list of these states as well. The additional fact, that we are one of the top three countries most affected by climate change makes it all the more important that we tackle our looming water crisis.
Given that we are an agriculture based economy, a large part of our population is dependent on this vital resource for its economic needs as well. This signifies that the impacts are not just limited at a micro level but of a macro scale simultaneously.
The lack of water goes beyond just having a direct impact; it intertwines with poverty, health and women and children problems. People who are generally stuck with unsuitable water, not able to afford an alternative are from the onset struggling with poverty. Consumption of contaminated water results in health problems, especially in children. As per charity water.org, every nineteen seconds a mother loses a child to water related illness. It is mostly, the responsibility of women and children to collect water for their families and many have to walk up to three hours to get to the nearest source. In fact, in many countries this activity alone consumes most of the working hours for these women and children.
These families cannot afford to educate their children, as their limited resources are spent trying to meet their basic needs and medical bills. With no education or skill development, there is no room for families stuck in this system to work their way out of poverty. Without pause this vicious cycle continues and is transferred to the next generation.
We are generally not known for our long term approach, but this is no longer about securing our future. If we don’t start managing this precious resource now, our present would be in jeopardy. Practical and doable solutions do exist.
