Diplomatic Efforts Needed To Address Water Beyond Boundaries

Parliamentarians and experts underscored here on Thursday need to opendiplomatic channels to address water management issues concerning Pakistan, India andAfghanistan

Islamabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd January, 2020) Parliamentarians and experts underscored here on Thursday need to opendiplomatic channels to address water management issues concerning Pakistan, India andAfghanistan.A large number of parliamentarians, diplomats and water experts participated in the nationalconference on water beyond borders organized by non-governmental organization Lead Pakistanat a local hotel.Addressing the conference, Leader of the House in the Senate Shibli Faraz said water was basichuman right.

However, the population explosion, technological boom, and high demand forwater has created global water shortage endangering lives of millions.He said that cooperative relations between water-sharing nations is also critical to ensureadequate access to water.

Shibli said that Afghanistan's push to build dams to store and regulatethe water is indeed an indirect blow to Pakistan. If this shared resource is not mutually regulatedthrough political cooperation, it can lead to a drastic water shortage.He said that India, despite a treaty, threaten Pakistan by blocking its share of water flowing fromits borders.

He maintained that it is of course a violation of international law to do so, but in caseof any conflict, it is one aspect that we must be aware of and prepare for.He said that being an agricultural nation with the worlds most interconnected irrigation system,water availability means everything to Pakistan that is the main reason why the government hasstarted the Diamir-Bhasha dam project which will neutralise external water threats by ensuringadequate water storage within Pakistan.

Chairman Federal Flood Commission Ahmed Kamal, Wendy Gilmour Canadian HighCommissioner to Pakistan, Anne Marchal, Minister, Deputy Head of Mission, Delegation ofEuropean Union states Parliamentarians including Senator Krishna Kumari, Senator Mirza Afridi,Senator Doctor Ashok Kumar, Senator Sana Jamali, Senator Agha Shahi, Mehreen RazzaqBhutto, Khel Das Kohistani and Agha Mehmood Shah and others also attended the nationalconference.Senator Usman Kakar made a point that provinces have not been given their due shareincluding water distribution.

He said the parliament is not even being taken into confidence onthis very critical issue.Punjab's Irrigation Minister Mohsin Leghari stated that total water available is sum of total runoff water and stored water.

However, due to increasing siltation in dams, the storage isdecreasing.Former Federal Secretary Water and Power Ashfaq Mehmood said that the next step after planning of water policy should be continuous monitoring and accountability to ensure efficient working of action plans.A book on trans-boundary waters was also launched at the event.

The book gives perspectivesfrom public and private, industry and agriculture, academia, international developmentinstitutions and local non-governmental organizations- to discuss some of the most pressingwater, environmental and climate concerns for Pakistan and the Indus region at large. Ends