Economic survey identifies water scarcity is Pakistan’s biggest challenge

KARACHI: Pakistan is one of the worst affected countries from climate change. The Economic Survey of Pakistan released by the federal government states that the three biggest challenges pertaining to climate change faced by the country in coming years will be related to water, food and energy security.

“Pakistan is continuously suffering with extreme weather events due to changing climate that include seasonal prolonged droughts, heavy monsoon rains, devastating floods, monsoonal storms, cyclones, unusual fogs, melting of glaciers, landslides and avalanches.”

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The biggest challenge for Pakistan is the provision of drinking water supply and sanitation services in rural areas and to cope with this challenge, with the help of the provincial governments, strategy is planned to provide clean drinking water and improved sanitation at grassroots level, the survey says further.

Since Pakistan is declared as a water-scare country, waste water treatment is vital for adequate supply of water for agriculture and to treat and recycle industrial effluents. The survey maintains that a wastewater treatment programme would soon be initiated in the country in collaboration with provincial governments.

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