KARACHI: FPCCI Chairman Coordination Malik Sohail Hussain on Sunday asked the government to take concrete steps to overcome water scarcity which has become a threat to agricultural and industrial production and development of the country.
Water scarcity is hurting agriculture which is the backbone of the economy providing jobs to a bulk of the workforce while and majority of the exports are also linked to this sector which calls for urgent measures, it said.
Reduced water availability has also triggered friction among the federating units while water scarcity has posed a threat to the crops, said FPCCI’s chairman coordination.
He said that water scarcity is to hurt the production of banana, mango etc. hitting exports as well as damaging the image of the country while the masses will see a shortage of fruits during the holy month of Ramadan.
Malik Sohail who has also served as Senior Vice President of the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) said that some exporters have cancelled deals with foreign buyers which should be noticed at the highest levels, he added.
Efforts should be increased to construct water reservoirs, improve existing facilities, reduce the irrational use of water and generate awareness in the masses about it, he demanded.
He said that Pakistan ranks third amongst countries facing water shortages due to hostile policies of a neighbouring country, poor distribution, and the excessive use of water without any mechanism to save it.
Malik Sohail warned that if the situation persists, there will be no or very little clean water available in Pakistan by 2025 transforming our country into a desert.
Globally 14 billion gallons of water is dumped into the sea and annually around 1.8 million people die from consuming polluted water. Globally 5,000 children die of diseases after consuming impure drinking water. In Pakistan, clean drinking water is available to only 30 per cent of the population.
