Graduate Seminar on downscaling water and sanitation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with implications for water development in Pakistan

Chief Executive Officer Pakistan Water Partnership (PWP) Sardar Muhammad Tariq speaking in the seminar on downscaling water and sanitation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with implications for water development in Pakistan held at U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Jamshoro on Monday, said that the water is a strategic asset for defence and development for most of the countries in world. Delivering a lecture on water security in Pakistan, he said that Pakistan’s dependence on single river system is highly vulnerable. Define the water scarcity indicator, he said that the water resource system is considered stressed if it is unable to deliver the necessary water for environmental, social and economic purposes, and its threshold value is 1700 cubic meter per capita.

Sardar Tariq while sharing the data said that in Pakistan the availability of surplus water for a year is only for 30 days whereas the in remaining 335 days the availability is less than demand. He was of the view that Pakistan must have 40 percent storage capacity of water the existing capacity is only very low which is only 7 percent. He opined that India’s continuous interference with river flows threatens Pakistan water security, as he believed that water security is equal to the national security. He said due to inefficient use of water in Pakistan placed the country one of the poorest productive country. He emphasized on the dry and salt tolerant variety of crops have to be introduced as the existing crop like wheat which is already abundant in the country. He stressed on the efficient water management and suggested for effective national and provincial water polices. He further recommended for rain water harvesting and also the principle of 3R’s which is reduce, recycle and ruse of water.

The second speaker of the seminar Director PWP Dr. Pervaiz Amir delivered his talk on Water led SDG platform as a paradigm for economic development with climate and CPEC challenges said that water is an integrator of development and water can lead the way for the majority of SDGs as potential paradigm. He said that Sindh poses unique challenges of supply and demand of quality and quantity of water. He was of the view that the climate change changing our way of thinking. He stressed that proper utilization from CPEC a window of development opportunity as to benefit the downtrodden people of Pakistan. He further recommended for reorienting water priorities, preparedness for Climate change challenges, and for the water applied research.

Before the speakers, the Project Director USPCAS-W Dr. Bakhshal Lahari briefed the participants about the MUET Water Center its goals and objectives. Speaking in the seminar Dr. Lashari said that the Center has undertaken the 100 research projects which related on the applied research in the water sector of the country. The faculty, students and civil society activists participated in the seminar.