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IN-HOUSE SESSION REPORT
“WATER SECURITY: ISSUES/WAY FORWARD ON
AGGRESSION AND CONSERVATION”
Organized by
Center for Global and Strategic Studies, Islamabad (CGSS), at
Islamabad, Pakistan
29th December, 2018
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Brief of the Event
On 29th December 2018, an In-House Discussion was held at Center for Global and
Strategic Studies, Islamabad. The core agenda was based on analyzing the current
situation of water in Pakistan and for efficient water resource management to exploit the
full potential of existing water resources to avoid water scarcity, food insecurity, water
wastage, energy deficit, wastage of fresh water and agricultural losses. The participants
deliberated on the topic and presented their viewpoints on the prevailing situation and
pin point the policies and recommendations to improve the current situation and to fulfill
the needs of the country.
The event was chaired by Major General Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery, HI (M),
(Retd) – President Center for Global and Strategic Studies and attended by the
following dignitaries:
Major General Hafiz Masroor Ahmed, (Retd) – Vice President CGSS
Mr. Kamal ud din Tipu – Former Inspector General of Police
Mr. Ahmed Kamal – Chairman Federal Flood Commission, Ministry of Water
Resources
Dr. Muhammad Ashraf – Director General, Pakistan Council of Research in Water
Resources (PCRWR)
Mr. Akhtar Bhatti – Team Leader, Water Sector Capacity and Advisory Services
Projects, Ministry of Water Resources
Dr. Ashfaq Sheikh – Pakistan Engineering Council, Ministry of Science and
Technology
Dr. Zakir Hussain Dahri – National Coordinator (water resources), Pakistan
Agricultural Research Council (PARC)
Brigadier Abdullah Khan, (Retd) – Member Advisory Board CGSS
Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Taimur Akram, (Retd) – Executive Director CGSS
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Major General Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery, HI (M), (Retd) – President Center
for Global and Strategic Studies
General Jaffery stated that with the ever-increasing demand for fresh water has
already become a major issue for policy makers all around the world
We are working on it in a form of conferences/seminars and giving
recommendations to relevant stakeholders
Pakistan Armed Forces are also working on this issue with the water experts and
then after will formulate a policy draft for the government
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Major General Hafiz Masroor Ahmed, (Retd) – Vice President CGSS
General Masroor emphasized that the past national issue of Kalabagh dam was
not about the division of water but rather it is about that water will be used for
electricity generation and then will lose all its power
The main reason for the lack of management is the poor work ethics
There is no management system for crop production controlling for instance, if the
crop doesn’t require extra water then how to control it to avoid the wastage of water
Infrastructural mismanagement is the main hindrance in storage and water
management
Mr. Kamal ud din Tipu – Former Inspector General of Police
IG Kamal stated that the dilemma is, we make huge policies but where is the
implementation, we are lacking in the implementation process
We have to focus on other innovative sides, innovation is always there at all levels
in every field as well such as, research and software
Integration is required among the Academia, Research and the Practitioners
Research based policies in the implementation process will lead to accurate results
and can be applied and implemented anytime in any field
We have to focus on alternatives in the meantime of building the large dams
Dr. Muhammad Ashraf – Director General, Pakistan Council of Research in
Water Resources (PCRWR)
Dr. Ashraf highlighted that we are lacking to understand the importance of crop zoning
and crop patterning for instance, for rice production certain area is designated but when
you change the area it costs un-appropriate growing and a huge amount of water loss.
Furthermore, Dr. Ashraf gave brief presentation on “Pakistan Water Issues and Way
Forward”.
1. Water used in different sectors
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Minimum domestic water requirement is 50 liter/person/day
To produce 1 kg cereal grains requires 1 m3 water (1,000 liters)
To produce 1 kg beef requires 13.5 m3 of water (13,500 liters)
A typical diet requires 5,400 liters/person/day
A vegetarian diet of the same nutritional value requires 2,600 liters
70 times more water to grow food than directly use for domestic purposes
More than 93 percent available water is used in agriculture
More than 60 percent groundwater contributes to agriculture
Irrigation is used on 80 percent of all arable land
Produces almost 90 percent of all food and fiber requirements
It accounts for around a quarter of the country’s GDP
It employs 44 percent of the labor force, supports 75 percent of the population, and
accounts for 60 percent of foreign exchange earnings
2. Existing water resources of Pakistan
Major storage reservoirs: 3
Live storage capacity (designed): 15 MAF
Barrages, head works and siphons: 23
Main irrigation canals: 45
Command area: 16.6 Mha
Total geographical area = 80 Mha
Culturable land = 30 Mha
Rainfed farming = 12 Mha
Rainfall – less than 200 mm to over 1000 mm
3. World’s Largest Surface and Groundwater Resources
One of the largest contiguous irrigation systems of the world
One of the largest groundwater resources of the world (4th after India, USA and
China)
Groundwater supplement over 60 percent of the surface water supplies
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Over 90 percent drinking water and 100 percent industrial water comes from
groundwater
4. Major water sector issues
Water shortage (water shortfall that was 11 percent in 2004 will increase to 31
percent by 2025)
Recurring floods (2010, 2011, 2014) ≈ 90 MAF
Inadequate water harvesting and storage facilities (only 10 percent of the average
annual flow)
Reduction in storages capacities of the existing reservoirs due to sedimentation
(0.2 MAF/year)
Unutilized potentials – hill torrents, Sailaba – 18 MAF
Low system efficiency (less than 40 percent)
Low land and water productivity
Groundwater depletion/degradation
Disposal of drainage effluent (10 MAF)
Wastewater use and disposal
5. Major challenges
Wet years/seasons are becoming more wet and dry years/seasons are becoming
dry: how to transfer water from wet year/season to dry year/season?
0
20
40
60
80
100
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2014 2015
%ag
e o
f Sa
mp
les
Year of MonitoringSafe
Unsafe
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Increased precipitation intensity and variability - floods and droughts: storage and
optimum reservoirs operations
Groundwater depletion (quantity and quality): how it can be managed?
Changes in water quantity and quality will impact food production: how to improve
water productivity?
Are the current water management practices robust enough to cope with the
climate change: development of climate smart technologies?
Impacts on water supply and demand: development of appropriate crop zoning
and cropping pattern?
The Way Forward
6. Increase storage and improve water governance
Construct small and large dams where possible
Improve the surface water governance with proper pricing
Legislate and restrict indiscriminate groundwater abstraction
Control increase in population
7. Improve water productivity
Improving conveyance and application efficiencies
Using high efficiency irrigation systems
Changing the existing cropping patterns
Adopting proper irrigation scheduling
Using saline groundwater
Use of improved agronomic practices
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Dr. Zakir Hussain Dahri – National Coordinator (water resources),
Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC)
Before going deep into the options and strategies to resolve the prevailing water crisis,
three policy questions raised hereunder require attention by the policy makers;
Are we going to persist with the current policies, strategies and institutional mechanisms
(business as usual scenario) to deal with this challenging situation of water crisis? The
simple answer is no. Innovations at all level are urgently needed. Fortunately, our
national food security policy and national water policy have very recently been approved.
What is lacking is appropriate action plans and efficient institutional mechanisms to
implement these policies.
Another question that comes in mind that at what level our agriculture should be
expanded horizontally? Presently, about 87 to 97 percent of the total fresh water use is in
agriculture sector, still the agriculture sector faces shortages of irrigation water every year.
Horizontal expansion of agriculture will add extra stress on the already scarce freshwater
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resources. However, this demands efficiency and optimization rather than horizontal
expansion of agricultural sector.
Generally, too much emphasis is placed on development of surface water. But we have
neglected groundwater resource, which is 10 times more than the annual surface water
supplies. Sustainability of this huge resource is threatened by overexploitation and
pollution. Saving a unit of water is much cheaper than development of the same amount
of water.
Strategies
The following strategies and associated action plans are urgently needed to cope with the
growing water security problem in Pakistan;
1. Development and Augmentation
Harnessing the potential of storage reservoirs
Harnessing the untapped flood water and runoff from hill torrents in the areas
where it is wasted through groundwater recharge in saline zones
Construction of storage tanks and ponds for domestic and stock-water use (mainly
in desert areas)
2. Conservation and Management
Integrated watershed management in the catchment areas of all river basins
Development of optimal crop zones and strict enforcement of crop zoning
Water supply and demand analysis based on new crop zoning
Revisiting of canal water duties
Regulations to check over exploitation of groundwater
Regulations to check contamination of surface and groundwater resources
Groundwater recharge mainly in urban and rain fed areas to avoid using huge
financial resources to reduce groundwater recharge from the conveyance losses
and then again spending huge resources to artificially recharge groundwater
Technologies for sustainable exploitation of fresh groundwater layers
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3. Efficient Utilization
Optimized irrigation under varying water supply and agro-ecological conditions
Promotion of regulated deficit irrigation
Promotion of high efficiency drip, sprinkler and other micro irrigation systems for
improving water productivity
Promotion of efficient surface irrigation techniques and resource conservation
technologies
4. Recycling and Reuse
Treatment and use of municipal and industrial effluents for irrigation
Promotion of water desalination techniques for domestic and irrigation uses
Conjunctive use of brackish and fresh waters
Promotion of bio-saline agriculture
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5. Valuation
Revisiting water pricing for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses depending
on availability quality and reliability of water
Exploring and regulation of the potential of water markets
6. Institutional Arrangements
We need to reassess our institutional mechanisms to manage water resources,
particularly after 18th constitutional amendment. It is good to have a separate
ministry of water resources at federal level. Yet, water is being managed and
researched by four different ministries at federal level at Ministry of Water
Resources, Ministry of NFS&R, Ministry of Climate Change and Ministry of
Science and Technology and two departments at provincial level are Irrigation and
Agriculture departments. Consequently, there are many overlaps and duplications
in their mandates and outcomes. Institutional reforms in irrigation sector at
provincial level were introduced about two decades back but could not be
completed. Two parallel systems of irrigation departments and autonomous
Irrigation and Drainage Authorities are functioning. It is high time to decide which
direction we want to go and take further steps to bring improvements in the
system.
7. Trans-boundary Conflict Management
Indus Water Treaty
Kabul Basin Water Treaty (we need to properly prepare and wait for optimal
timing)
Improvements in water apportionment accord of 1991 (it is sensitive issue so no
need to alter but supplement it with additionalities)
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Mr. Akhtar Bhatti – Team Leader, Water Sector Capacity and Advisory
Services Projects, Ministry of Water Resources
Mr. Akhtar emphasized that the water probability is required in the management of water
and forecasting, without probability we always have the predicted results which can lead
to success and mainly to disaster. Furthermore, Mr. Bhatti gave a detail presentation on
“Water Management at Farms in Pakistan”.
1. Water availability
Rain Water (75% < 250 mm) (20% < 125 mm)
Surface Water 144 MAF Average (108 to 163)
Ground Water
o Total Area 39.5 Million Acres
o Saline 24.7 Million Acres
o Fresh Water 14.8 Million Acres
o Total Quantity Available 59 MAF
o Present Extraction 50 MAF
o Balance 9 MAF (economic limit)
2. Productivity per unit of water
Canada 7.82 kg/ m3
USA 1.56 kg/ m3
China 0.82 kg/ m3
India 0.39 kg/ m3
Pakistan 0.13 kg/ m3
3. Productivity per unit of land
France 7.60 t/ha
Egypt 5.99 t/ha
Saudi Arabia 5.36 t/ha
Punjab (India) 4.80 t/ha
Punjab (Pak) 2.30 t/ha
Pakistan (Average) 2.24 t/ha
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4. GDP contribution m3 per of water
World (Average) USD 8.60
Developed Countries USD 30-40
Malaysia USD 10
Pakistan USD 0.34
5. Challenges
Surface (Gravity) Irrigation System
Water Availability is Supply Driven
Lack of Intermediate Storage
Annual Canal Closure for Maintenance
Low Cost Recovery (Low Abiana Rates)
Lack of Adequate Maintenance – Inefficient Operation
Scarcity of Irrigation Water
Weekly Rotation (Warabundi)
Flood Irrigation
Night Irrigation
Design Cropping Intensity of 70 percent (Present +159 percent)
Small and Scattered Land Holdings
Prevailing Poverty
Poor Access to Inputs
Wide Spread Illiteracy
Inadequate Water Management Knowledge
Lack of Water Management Skills
6. Options
Raise Awareness Level of Farmers on Low Productivity
Create Enabling Environment through efficient and timely provision of;
o needed knowledge and skills
o training and capacity building
o advice and demonstration
o inputs and supplies
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o micro credit and loans
o marketing outputs
Establish a Water Management Extension Service to;
o transform watercourse commands as agricultural production factories / hubs
o introduce improved water management methods and techniques for surface
(gravity) irrigation to maximize crop per drop
o promote high efficiency irrigation as appropriate & feasible
o introduce low requirement high value crops and orchards
Pilot Testing of Cooperative Farming
Pilot Testing of Intermediate Storage
7. Conclusion
Improved water management at farm level is essential to tap the significant
potential available due to low productivity of water and land
Saving of irrigation water at farm level can be used only to increase yields and area
under irrigation. These cannot be transferred in time and space and therefore
cannot be substitute for the additional water supply from storages
A number of reliable and tested soft options are available to increase the
productivity of water and land at farm level but require a behavioral change among
users that needs hard work from a missionary extension services to raise awareness
and building their knowledge and skills
Increasing storage capacity will not be enough unless the water is managed most
efficiently and productively at the farm where it is translated into biomass.
Miscellaneous Discussion
The Participants stressed that the water issues are not new, they existed in the past
but the issues were not prioritized until it led us to the energy shortages and serious
problems
The National Water Policy 2018, does it requires some changes in the
implementation mechanism?
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We have to work together as a nation and need to take ownership on water issue
like in the past we had ownership on the nuclear program irrespective of
governments but the work must continue in the right direction for the sake of
national development.
Is there options that;
o We go for water management
o We build small dams or large dams
We have to set focus on our management and functional mechanism of
institutions, for instance, ISRA is dysfunctional due to measurability but today
there are 1000 other ways of technology, why are we not opting for new and
modern technological ways.
We have self-created problems and lobbies at intra provincial levels, which do not
allow to opt for other innovative options therefore, we have to change our mindsets
and find solutions as a one nation for the betterment of our motherland.
Building small dams are pivotal for the domestic users, although big dams are
necessary because it can serve anywhere but a small dam can fulfill the needs of
about 10 to 20 villages and will provide opportunity for better management of
resources with lower costs.
The Indus Water Treaty (IWT) has survived the major conflicts. Is there a
requirement to enter into a treaty between Afghanistan and Pakistan, not like the
Indus Water Treaty but in manner where there should be a mechanism of
information sharing?
On the Chitral River as being upper riparian, through our courts can we take notice
to stop new constructions as a legal advice to implement a proper usage procedure
and to stop the illegal system in practice.
Mr. Ahmed Kamal – Chairman Federal Flood Commission, Ministry of
Water Resources
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In the year 2005, three studies were conducted and General Musharraf tried to
build dams but IRSA failed to implement ground work due to politically obsessed
and unqualified office holders.
National water policy was finalized during General Musharraf’s era with the
consensus of all provinces but the next governments delayed the projects with
proposed changes and it continuously goes till now.
National trans-boundary organization should be built with representatives from
all concerned stakeholders.
It is our own mismanagement that for the last 14 years no representative from
Pakistan has gone to India to inspect the design of dams, etc. under the clause of
Indus Water Treaty (IWT).
We need Kabul River or Kabul basin authority with members from both Pakistan
– Afghanistan side which includes information sharing, researches to avoid crisis
because it should be designed to keep it on higher at technical level and should be
kept lower at political level.
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Brigadier Abdullah Khan, (Retd) – Member Advisory Board CGSS
Brigadier Abdullah khan reiterated that governance and water management is the
main issue, it can be enforced if applied in a proper manner because still there are
ways and institutional capacity to achieve the positive results.
Dr. Ashfaq Sheikh – Pakistan Engineering Council, Ministry of Science and
Technology
Dr. Ashfaq was of the view that we have to control the negative approach regarding
the financing strategy for the construction of the big dams, when the construction
of dam will start the donors will come.
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Conclusion
The in-house discussion concluded with the following points;
Pakistan must enhance its water storage capacity.
Academia, research bodies and practitioners should be integrated to attain
properly researched based accurate data.
Pakistan needs to build major dams to fulfill the current and future demand and
to conserve water for the future generations.
Institutional capacity needs to be enhanced for better water management and
governance.
Pakistan is facing worst water crisis that requires an integrated approach and
efforts at multiple levels; individual, community, districts, provincial and at
national level with a public awareness initiatives.
Major General Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery, HI (M), (Retd), concluded the in-house
discussion by expressing his profound regards to the participants. Moreover, he expressed
his hope that the suggested measures and recommendations will be facilitated in a
particular manner for the development and prosperity of the country.
*Report Compiled by Mr. Wajahat Abbas – Research Associate and Project
Coordinator, Water Issues