ISLAMABAD: Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI) Regional Standing Committee Chairman Ahmad Jawad has stressed for adopting serious strategy for building water reservoirs and meeting the production of agriculture at par.
Talking to newsmen, he said the mismanagement of water will have its biggest impact on Pakistan’s agricultural sector. According to the World Bank, 43 per cent of Pakistan’s employment is in the agricultural sector. This prosperous industry relies on the single largest contiguous irrigation system in the world. While this is an impressive feat, Pakistan also fosters one of the lowest crop yields per unit of water in the world, he said. This is alarming because Pakistan uses a whopping 97 per cent of its water resources on its agriculture industry, he added.
The looming threat of water scarcity is an issue that is rarely talked about and it constitutes one of the biggest challenges, he said. With a projected population of 263 million in the year 2050 (United Nations 2012), Pakistan needs to put serious thought into how it will provide adequate water for agriculture, industry, and human consumption in the face of rapidly dwindling reserves.
FPCCI Standing Committee Chairman also mentioned that Pakistan’s water issues are multi-dimensional. He said there is no single, all-encompassing problem, but instead multiple, inter-related problems and Pakistan needs to completely rethink its entire approach to its water resources. To meet the food and fiber security of its population, he appreciated the government’s initiatives towards building dams but said it needs to be done on fast pace. Jawad said that “poverty will also reduce if we provide agriculture in the non-settled areas.”
