Water resources are under immense pressure from climate change, soaring demand for water for domestic use, increasing population, agriculture and industrial sectors.
In addition to this, the changes in crop boundaries could happen due to changing rainfall and temperatures, another consequence of climate change.
Alarmingly, the groundwater level is declining in Lahore with a depletion rate approximately 2.5 to 3.0 feet per year across the district.
2: Prevalence of waterborne diseases such as dysentery, diarrhea, malaria, and dengue, particularly in urban centers, is due to poor quality of water which is increasing health risks and jeopardizing the quality of life.
Stakeholders should discuss and recommend solutions such as improvements in water allocations between surface and groundwater levels, increased levels of treatment for industrial and municipal effluent and improvement in environmental flows.
National Water Policy drafted on April 2018, with a rapidly growing population – 208.8 million – Pakistan is heading towards a situation of water shortage and by corollary, is at high risk of facing food insecurity.
Pakistan is no different, as according to World Bank’s calculations, only approximately 41 percent of the country’s urban population has access to safe drinking water.
The situation in rural areas is worse.
Access to safe drinking water in rural and urban areas is declining and the provision of potable water is a key issue that people face.
A large population of major cities in Pakistan does not have access to safe drinking water as freshwater resources are being contaminated due to multiple reasons and safe drinking water should be made available to the population and industries need to ensure proper disposal of solid and liquid waste.