ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Muhammad Sami Saeed chaired a meeting on Thursday to evaluate the advancements in the Water Resource Sector and the implementation status of the National Water Policy 2018.
Member Infrastructure, Chief Water Resources, and other relevant stakeholders attended the meeting. A comprehensive briefing was provided to the minister covering the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS), water availability, total sectoral water demand, and challenges faced by the system.
These challenges included sedimentation, population growth, poor water management, groundwater recharge, climate change, and inefficient utilization of water resources. Additionally, salient features of the National Water Policy 2018, strategic priorities, and national targets set for 2030 were discussed in detail.
During the meeting, the planning minister emphasized the implementation of the High-Efficiency Irrigation System with state-of-the-art technologies. It was highlighted that IBIS stands as the fourth-largest Irrigation Network System globally, cultivating about 20.2 million hectares of land through annual flows of 138.4 MAF in Pakistan. The country boasts 6668 glaciers, more than any other on Earth, with groundwater contributing about 50 MAF. The agriculture sector is the major user of available water, utilizing 94% for irrigation, while domestic and industrial uses account for 5.2% and 0.8%, respectively.
Moreover, the chair was informed that to address the challenges of water resources and climate threats, the first-ever National Water Policy was developed and approved by the Council for Common Interest (CCI) in 2018.
The strategic priorities of the policy encompass Conservation and Efficiency, Storages, Renewable Energy, Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), and Regulatory Frameworks. Out of the six Planning Principles of the policy, the key principle emphasized is “Equity and participatory decision-making; Water sector activities shall be participatory and consultative at each level, and decisions will be taken by consensus.”
The Water Resource Section of the Planning Commission highlighted the main targets of the policy set for 2030, including a 30% increase in water use efficiency, a 33% reduction in conveyance loss (saving about 15 MAF), a 10 MAF increase in surface water storage, replacement of decade-old infrastructure, improved Water Accounting, and Mechanisms for data collection.
