ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION REPORT MANAGING THE WATERS: APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S PROBLEMS AND WAYS FORWARD FORWARD AND WAYS PROBLEMS APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S THE WATERS: MANAGING 1 ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION REPORT Report of the Roundtable Discussion on Managing Waters: Appraisal of Pakistan’s Problems and Ways Forward Compiled By NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) Published By NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS) National University of Sciences and Technology H-12 Islamabad www.nust.edu.pk MANAGING THE WATERS: APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S PROBLEMS AND WAYS FORWARD FORWARD AND WAYS PROBLEMS APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S THE WATERS: MANAGING Disclaimer 2 The views expressed herein are solely those of the participants and do not in any way reflect the views of the National University of Sciences and Technology or the NUST Institute of Policy Studies. ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION REPORT REPORT OF THE ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON MANAGING THE WATERS: APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S PROBLEMS AND WAYS FORWARD NUST INSTITUTE OF POLICY STUDIES (NIPS) MANAGING THE WATERS: APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S PROBLEMS AND WAYS FORWARD FORWARD AND WAYS PROBLEMS APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S THE WATERS: MANAGING 3 ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION REPORT Table of Contents 1. Introduction 05 2. Roundtable Dicussion 07 2.1. Opening Remarks by Rector NUST & Patron NIPS 07 2.2. Remarks of the Moderator 08 2.3. Presentations 09 2.3.1. The Impact of Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) on Pakistan 09 2.3.2. Pakistan’s Inland Water Resources: Issues & Way Forward 13 2.3.3. Views of the Discussants 17 2.3.4. Closing Remarks by Director General NIPS 28 3. Key Recommendations of the Roundtable 29 Appendices 32 Appendix 1: IWT 1960 Was an Illusion, Wake Up Pakistan by Engineer Suleman Najib Khan 32 Appendix 2: MANAGING THE WATERS: APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S PROBLEMS AND WAYS FORWARD FORWARD AND WAYS PROBLEMS APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S THE WATERS: MANAGING Map of the Indus Main and Gilgit-Baltistan 38 4 Appendix 3: Map of Groundwater Zones in the Upper Indus Basin’s 4 Doabs 39 Appendix 4: List of Participants 40 ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION REPORT 1. Introduction implementation of the national water policy targeting multiple areas of intervention for NUST Institute of Policy Studies (NIPS), sustainable water management was needed organized a high-level roundtable, to achieve and ensure water security. “Managing the Waters: Appraising the Problems and Ways Forward”, on the water Engineer Suleman Najib Khan, noted water crisis of Pakistan on October 23, 2019. The expert of Pakistan and one of the most well- roundtable dealt in detail with the problems informed and vocal advocates for harnessing and challenges associated with national the immense hydel potential of the Indus water resources development, management, River System, in his meticulously researched and governance. presentation, exposed India’s blatant water aggression as well as the flawed nature of Water experts, professionals, policy the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) which, researchers, academics, and students in his estimation, was never meant to be a attended the roundtable. Renowned experts Pakistan-friendly treaty. In highlighting its from Balochistan, Punjab, and Sind were also disadvantageous aspects, he stressed that present.1 The roundtable consisted of two the treaty amounted to a little more than major issue-based presentations followed the legalization of the theft of water by India by an interactive discussion in which the that by right belonged to Pakistan. participants shared their views on various aspects of the topic under deliberation. He said this state of affairs was further compounded by the inflow of untreated In his opening remarks, Lieutenant General sewage from India that was polluting the Naweed Zaman (Retd.), Rector NUST and country’s underground water as well as Patron NIPS, stated that the inefficient use causing the spread of water-borne diseases of water across the board had, among other like hepatitis. He warned that a combination things, caused Pakistan to become a severely of the traditional lack of knowledge, water-stressed country. He said the current commitment, and seriousness on the part unsustainable patterns of national water use, of the national water managers continued to if not revised radically, could make Pakistan undermine the national interest of Pakistan. water-scarce in future. He said the cost of poor water management was substantial, Engineer Suleman called for a proactive which, according to the World Bank, was evidence-based national and international USD 12 billion dollar annually. He advised outreach campaign for raising the level that a water-saving approach required to be of awareness of policy makers, general FORWARD AND WAYS PROBLEMS APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S THE WATERS: MANAGING promoted at all levels of society. public, and global community about India’s unrestrained misappropriation of 5 Rector NUST highlighted the contribution of Pakistan’s waters. He recommended that NUST to awareness-raising through regular a Commission for Indus Basin Strategic community and youth initiatives aimed at Analysis (CIBSA), first proposed during efficient water consumption by individuals the National Conference on Reservoirs at and households. He said a multi-partisan Islamabad in February 1998, needed to be 1- See Appendix 4 for the participants of the roundtable. ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION REPORT formed for functional R&D in the water the other. sector together with a Pakistan Energy Planning and Execution (PEPE) entity. He said there needed to be a comprehensive regulatory framework for sustainable Dr. Muhammad Ashraf, Chairman Pakistan water resources utilization together with Council of Research in Water Resources reduction in water wastage, theft and (PCRWR), presented the problems of non-revenue water allocation through Pakistan’s inland water resources. He said 100 percent metering for drinking water Pakistan had the fourth largest groundwater supplies, creation of crop ecological zones, resources in the world after India, the U.S., and establishment of provincial authorities and China but it was not the best managed. including province-level groundwater He said over 90 percent drinking water and authorities. There was also a need, he opined, 100 percent water for industrial use comes to think of ways to transfer water from wet from groundwater. This massive water to dry seasons. resources system was suffering from major inefficiencies. Other recommendations included the urgent need for the depoliticization of Major water-sector issues were related to: water issues in Pakistan, the setting up of water resources development consisting of up-to-date water monitoring systems, the growing water scarcity, recurrent floods, plugging of water demand-supply gap, the inadequate storage facilities, sedimentation formulation of water recharge strategies, in storage reservoirs of about 0.2 MAF per dynamic and aggressive water diplomacy, year, and unutilized potential of 18 MAF; formation of public-private partnerships in water resources management consisting different areas of water management, etc.2 of low systemic efficiency of less than 40 percent, low productivity per unit of water, groundwater depletion and degradation, disposal of drainage effluent of 10 MAF, and waste water management; and water governance issues consisting of low water pricing, zero groundwater regulatory framework, and lack of crop zoning. Dr. Ashraf said the construction of small MANAGING THE WATERS: APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S PROBLEMS AND WAYS FORWARD FORWARD AND WAYS PROBLEMS APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S THE WATERS: MANAGING and medium dams was needed along with large dams. He said there was a further need 6 to increase water use efficiency by at least 30 percent by producing more crop per drop through use of new technologies like drip and sprinkler irrigation on the one hand, and more realistic water pricing policy on 2- See Section 3 for recommendations. ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION REPORT 2. Roundtable Discussion 2.1. Opening Remarks Lieutenant General Naweed Zaman HI (M) (Retd.) – Rector NUST and Patron NIPS Opening Remarks: (From the left) Lieutenant General Naweed Zaman HI (M), (Retd.), Dr. Muhammad Arshad and Dr. Ashfaque Hasan Khan (NUST Archive, 2019) The presence of renowned water experts, water resources. government officials, and environmentalists, representing key national and international Pakistan is said to be 23rd among 167 organizations and hailing from different countries facing water shortage. Its annual MANAGING THE WATERS: APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S PROBLEMS AND WAYS FORWARD FORWARD AND WAYS PROBLEMS APPRAISAL OF PAKISTAN’S THE WATERS: MANAGING parts of the country, is welcome. It is pleasing per capita water availability is also said to note the senior representation from to have fallen below 1000 cubic meters, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sind, the global benchmark for assessing water 7 and Punjab. A warm welcome is extended to shortage. Whereas, the internationally all the worthy attendees on behalf of NIPS. recognized average annual water availability The subject of water is crucial to Pakistan’s per person is set at 1800 cubic meters, national development. This roundtable seeks Pakistan’s average annual per capita water to create an impact in order to facilitate the availability is estimated to be 935 cubic process of forming effective policies with meters. This situation is especially dire when regard to the management of Pakistan’s it is taken into account that Pakistan is a ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION REPORT populous agricultural country. Pakistan