Pakistan facing aggression from India; says PEW

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) on Sunday said the country is facing water terrorism from India as part of the plan to destabilise Pakistan.

The scarcity of water in rivers has pushed people to utilise groundwater which is depleting at a fast pace, it said. The politicians should immediately settle the disputes on Kalabagh dam and other mega projects without which future of the country seems bleak, said Dr. Murtaza Mughal, President PEW.

He said that demand and supply gap for water has reached alarming levels if immediate steps were not taken therefore politicians should settle their dispute in the larger national interest, he added. Dr. Murtaza Mughal said that the government should declare water as the most important issue of national security as the climate change, decreasing glaciers and forests and well as water aggression has emerged as grave threats.

He said that different areas have been witnessing a reduction in the water table from four to 12 inches per annum while some areas have witnessed the reduction of three to four feet annually which has increased the cost of pumping water through tube wells.

He said that scarcity of water is to hurt water-intensive crops like rice and sugar cane in the beginning and entire agricultural chain subsequently which will create problems like unemployment, food security and closure of our leading industries.

Pakistan’s population would be 250 million by 2025, demand for water would be at 338 billion cubic meters while availability would be 236 BCM creating many challenges. The incumbent government is too much focused on court cases, foreign loans, next elections and new powerhouses while it should spare some time to tackle the issue of water scarcity, he demanded.