Shaukat Ali
Water is an essential natural resource for the sustainability of life. The dynamics and distribution of water depend upon the physiographic and climatic settings of the landscape. The mountainous regions encompass an enormous variety of hydrological properties. Water scarcity in these regions is the foremost concern to meet the ever-growing needs of the population. Pakistan’s water crisis is explained mainly by rapid population growth followed by climate change (floods and droughts), poor agricultural sector water management, inefficient infrastructure and water pollution. On the eve of World Water Day ,By the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on behalf of the UN-Water Task Force Water, the essence of life, stands as a cornerstone in the sustainable development of societies worldwide. It serves as the linchpin for energy, health, and food sectors, while also playing a crucial role in biodiversity conservation. Yet, the alarming reality looms: roughly half of the world’s population faces severe water scarcity for at least part of the year. This year, as World Water Day on 22 March focuses on the theme, ‘Water for Peace,’ we are compelled to reflect on the complex relationship between water, conflict, and cooperation. Water has the power to create peace or spark conflict. Over time, there have been many more incidences of cooperation than conflict over water. However, climate change and a rapidly growing population mean that pressure is building on a resource that is becoming increasingly erratic. Climate change intensifies the water cycle, leading to more extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. Water-stressed regions become fertile grounds for various forms of conflict, from social instability to ethnic clashes and border disputes. As climate change impacts increase, there is an urgent need, within and between countries, to unite around water. As more than 60% of global freshwater flow traverses political boundaries, transboundary water cooperation is crucial for regional stability and conflict prevention. Countries should develop agreements and set up joint institutions to peacefully manage shared water resources. Yet only 24 countries have cooperation agreements for all their shared water. Global legal and intergovernmental frameworks, such as the two UN Water Conventions, have greatly promoted and supported cooperation at basin level. One striking example is the Sava River Basin. The signature of the Sava agreement, the first intergovernmental agreement after the Yugoslav Wars and creation of the Sava commission not only served as a unifying factor for the four riparian countries – Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia – but also initiated trust and cooperation in the region. In West Africa, heads of state in the 1970s decided to address the severe drought jointly by creating shared dams and the Senegal basin development organization. Effective transboundary water cooperation acts as a powerful tool for conflict prevention and peacebuilding, addressing root causes of conflict and building trust between water users, communities, and countries sharing water resources. A Pakistani researcher Nazam Maqbool’study in 2022 suggests that Pakistan is among the list of 10 most vulnerable countries of the world to climate change (Figure 5). The country is already facing climate-related threats to water resources as is evident from the change in monsoon patterns, receding glaciers, rising temperatures and recurrence of floods and droughts. Pakistan has witnessed a number of floods in the past several years and long spells of drought. For example, the 2010 floods caused direct losses of more than US$10 billion and 1,600 deaths and affected 38,600 square kilometers. Similarly, Quetta and most parts of Balochistan experienced eight years of a drought-like situation from 1997 to 2005. Climate change may decline aggregate water flows in the future. In future, most projections show a declining trend and increased variability of the flows (50 to 75 years).The Indus River Basin, Pakistan’s chief water source, being dependent on glacial and snowmelt and precipitation, is highly sensitive to climate change. It has already shrunk into a canal in the Sindh Province where a large number of farmers have migrated to urban areas due to a shortage of water. Given the fact that snow and ice melt runoff currently generates between 50 percent and 80 percent of average water flows in the Indus River basin,this will result in landslides, heavy flooding, dam bursts and soil erosion initially and drought and famine in the long-run. Pakistan is among the list of 10 most vulnerable countries of the world to climate change (Figure 5). The country is already facing climate-related threats to water resources as is evident from the change in monsoon patterns, receding glaciers, rising temperatures and recurrence of floods and droughts. Pakistan has witnessed a number of floods in the past several years and long spells of drought. For example, the 2010 floods caused direct losses of more than US$10 billion and 1,600 deaths and affected 38,600 square kilometers.[20] Similarly, Quetta and most parts of Balochistan experienced eight years of a drought-like situation from 1997 to 2005. Climate change may decline aggregate water flows in the future. In future, most projections show a declining trend and increased variability of the flows (50 to 75 years).The Indus River Basin, Pakistan’s chief water source, being dependent on glacial and snowmelt and precipitation, is highly sensitive to climate change. It has already shrunk into a canal in the Sindh Province where a large number of farmers have migrated to urban areas due to a shortage of water. Given the fact that snow and ice melt runoff currently generates between 50 percent and 80 percent of average water flows in the Indus River basin,this will result in landslides, heavy flooding, dam bursts and soil erosion initially and drought and famine in the long-run. World Water Day 2024 urges us to explore the critical relationship between water and peace. Numerous tools and good practices from around the world are available to support us in protecting and conserving our most precious resource. By embracing cooperative approaches and ensuring equitable access, we can harness water as a stabilizing force and a catalyst for sustainable development, fostering peace for generations to come.
