Roll

no 12

Report on Water
policy of Pakistan and
its comparison with
Israel and India
[Type the document subtitle]
Here we discuss the problem occurs in water management in Pakistan and
their comparison with one developed and one developing country.

Ali Raza Shah

BS public policy
BahauddinZakaria University
Introduction
Water plays a central role in all aspects of life - public and private, at all levels from
international waters to the household level, it plays a critical role in the natural environment,
in our economies, in food security, in production and in politics. The governing of how water
is used, who uses it and how much is used is consequently very complex and is the substance
of a substantial body of law at local, national and international levels.

Because of its value and its importance in all aspects of life, water is a highly political issue.
Access to water is a question of power. Lack of access to, and control over, water is both a
primary indicator and a primary cause of poverty. The politics of water is expressed in water
policy. Policy may be written or unwritten - often the de facto policy of a government
department or local government, what is actually carried out on the ground, is quite different
to the published policy. Water legislation is a tool for the implementation of policy and
usually reflects the current ruling policy. Legislation usually lags behind policy because of
the lengthy processes involved in developing new legislation. Occasionally legislation is
developed or current legislation is amended without the the benefit of clear policy - this
usually leads to problems.

Water Policy of Pakistan

POLICY OBJECTIVES

The National Water Policy lays down a broad policy framework and set of principles for
water security on the basis of which the Provincial Governments can formulate their
respective Master Plans and projects for water conservation, water development and water
management.

The National Water Policy is based on the concept of Integrated Water Resources
Management primarily aimed at the following policy objectives:

1. Promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns throughout the water

sector from exploitation to utilization.
2. Augmentation of the available water resources of the country through judicious and
equitable utilization via reservoirs, conservation and efficient use.
3. Improving availability, reliability and quality of fresh water resources to meet critical
municipal, agricultural, energy, security and environmental needs.
4. Improving urban water management by increasing system efficiency and reducing
non revenue water through adequate investments to address drinking water demand,
sewage disposal, handling of wastewater and industrial effluents.
5. Promoting behavioral change to reduce wastage of water by raising public awareness
through media campaigns and incorporating water conservation lessons in
syllabi/curricula at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
6. Hydropower development to increase the share of renewable energy.
7. Providing food security and expanding water availability to help adapt to climate
change, population and other large-scale stresses,
8. Treatment and possible reuse of waste water - domestic, agricultural and industrial.
9. Upgrading water sector information systems for improved asset management and to
derive evidence and data driven decision making.
 10. Improving watershed management through extensive soil conservation, catchment
area treatment, preservation of forests and increasing forest cover.
11. Restoring and maintaining the health of the environment and water related eco
systems.
12. Flood management to mitigate floods and minimize their damages.
13. 13. Drought management with emphasis on long term vulnerability reduction.
14. 14. Security of benefit streams of the water related infrastructure for sustained
provision of services.
15. 15. Promoting appropriate technologies for rain water harvesting in rural as well as
urban areas.
16. 16. Regulating groundwater withdrawals for curbing over-abstraction and promoting
aquifer recharge.
17. 17. Adequate water pricing (Albania) for irrigation and proper operation and
maintenance of the irrigation system as well as other user sectors.
18. 18. Promoting measures for long term sustainability of the Irrigation System.
19. 19. Encouraging beneficiary participation and public private partnerships.
20. 20. Strengthening and Capacity building of water sector institutions.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND PLANNING PRINCIPLES

The objectives of the National Water Policy (NWP) are grounded in a set of principles aimed
at promoting greater national interest and the welfare of the people of Pakistan. In addition,
several strategic initiatives have been identified that will be taken up at the Federal and
Provincial levels, since they are of critical importance to the water, energy and food security
of Pakistan. These include,

Conservation and Efficiency: More than 50 per cent of canal water diverted from the Indus
system does not reach the farm level. While the main canals cannot and should not be lined, a
crash program for lining the water courses can reduce the seepage by at least one third.
Similarly conservation measures can be adopted for ground water by regulating its extraction
and use. Both conservation and efficiency must be highlighted for Demand Side Management
(DSM) of water resources. The current policies have a supply side bias. It is important to
make the distinction between efficiency, which means reducing waste and doing more with
less and conservation, which refers to restricting use.

Storage: The most important instrument of mitigation against the impact of climate change
on water resources is storage. If the pattern of rainfall becomes erratic with more than
average rain in one year and a drastic reduction in the next years’ rainfall, the only way to
conserve the surplus rainwater in wet years is to store it and release it in dry years, when
required. For storage and new irrigation projects a national master plan must be developed
which must cater for storage, floods, arid areas, irrigation, urban water and tariff
rationalization. In addition there are vast possibilities of small and medium size dams,
enhancing the life of existing storages and remodeling and rehabilitation of existing
infrastructure in the country. Expansion of water storage will expand irrigation and also
increase the proportion of hydro-power in the energy mix, reducing the need for thermal
power.

Leveraging Technology: Adoption of new technologies is urgently needed for (i) sea water
utilization and water recycling (ii) preparation of an inventory of water resources through
remote sensing and GIS technologies (iii) accurate monitoring of irrigation water delivery.
Home grown innovation in the water sector should be encouraged as much as possible,
including investments aimed at start-up companies that promote remote sensing, demand side
management and agricultural productivity.

Renewable Energy: Sustainable water resources development has a close nexus with
renewable energy. Large, medium and small dams not only generate cheap and clean energy
but also provide reliable source of water for agriculture and other human needs. With
appropriate policies and subsidies, a large percentage of tube wells in Pakistan, can be
converted to solar energy especially in areas where water table is not very low, to provide
additional water at lower cost. Solar energy can also be used for day-time de-sanitization of
sea water, particularly in the coastal areas of Baluchistan.

Integrated Water Resource Management: The management of water resources is shifting

from sectoral to a more integrated approach in different parts of the world. Under IWRM, (i)
the interests of all upstream and downstream stakeholders can be protected against mining
and contamination. (ii) Watershed and catchment areas can be protected to prolong the life of
water storage facilities. This revolutionary IWRM concept will however require
strengthening institutional and management capacity at all levels.

Comprehensive Regulatory Framework: The Federal government must play a leading role
in facilitating regulations to ensure the efficient and sustainable utilization of ground water,
industrial uses, and waste water management. Food security, water security and energy
security being inextricably linked, so the regulatory framework must address all the
associated issues comprehensively, including ground water contamination, waste treatment,
open defecation (WASH).

RELATIVE PRIORITY OF WATER USES

The priorities for the consumptive and non-consumptive uses of water shall be as follows:

1. Drinking and Sanitation (WASH)

2. Irrigation including land reclamation
3. Livestock, fisheries and wildlife
4. Hydropower
5. Industry and mining
6. Environment, river system, wetlands, aquatic life
7. Forestry including social forestry
8. Recreation and sports
9. Navigation

Israel’s Water policy and Pakistan

According to a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan ranks at
third place amongst countries facing water shortages. Poor strategies by the government
and inefficient, and poorly planned, distribution of water within the country are some of the
biggest reasons for the accelerating water crisis. With the impacts of climate change in
motion, alterations are expected in water dynamics, and hence the problem of water scarcity
is only going to aggravate.

Water is a core element to ensure food security and in achieving sustainable

development, therefore efficient water management practices need to be in place to ensure
that the country does not run short on water. Inability to act fast, in a planned manner, could
result in disastrous consequences in the form of widespread poverty, economic losses, and
conflict. If the situation persists, by year 2025, Pakistan will have little, to no clean
water available.

According to a recent study by the International Food

Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), food security is amongst the biggest challenges faced by
Pakistan. Ranking at 77th position among other countries, Pakistan is one of the most food
insecure countries in Asia. Apart from the obvious impact of demand deficit and
undernourishment in children and women, food insecurity aggravates the burden on the
country’s resources.

Agriculture has always remained at the heart of Pakistan’s economy. It is the second
largest economic sector in Pakistan, which has critical importance towards ensuring food
security, and economic growth. The agriculture sector contributes 24% GDP of Pakistan and
employs about 42% of the labor force, and despite the role that it plays,
agricultural productivity remains low. Pakistan fails to yield crops like rice, wheat, sugarcane,
to the amounts where it can compete with global averages. Most of the country’s agricultural
produce is consumed domestically, and the resulting lack of substantial exports act as a
barrier for Pakistan in becoming a major competitor in the global food industry.

Being an agricultural economy, Pakistan requires massive reserves of water for

irrigation. The current water management infrastructure in Pakistan is over a century old and
the barrages are becoming obsolete. Availability of fresh water in Pakistan has decreased by
about 800 percent since the 1950s. The situation could have been a lot better if there was
proper water management in place and wastage of water was limited. The outdated irrigation
system results in huge losses of 30 percent fresh water (2/3 of irrigation water), and in a
country where 21 million people are deprived of clean drinking water, it is high time for
innovation in our water management system. The prevailing situation calls for modernization
of infrastructure and the use of modern technologies. New methods of irrigation should be
explored and irrigation practice should be extended to desert areas of Sindh province, which
could cultivate land of approximately five million acres. Pakistan could really learn from
comparing its water management to that of foreign water management and agricultural
policies. Israel, for example, who emerged as a world leader in desalination, and treating
waste water, and revolutionized sustainable water management by introducing the modern
drip irrigation model. An indigenized drip irrigation model can do wonders for Pakistan’s
agricultural sector.

The outdated irrigation system results in huge losses of 30 percent fresh water (2/3 of
irrigation water), and in a country where 21 million people are deprived of clean drinking
water, it is high time for innovation in our water management system.
Also known as micro-irrigation, drip irrigation is an irrigation model in which crops
are supplied with fertilizers and water, through a network of UV resistant tubes, directly to
the roots, at a steady flow rate. This way, the water and fertilizer reach only to the soil that
directly feeds the roots. Drip irrigation prevents the whole soil area from getting moisturized
and thus, results in saving water leakage and evaporation, all the while maintain optimal
moisture levels for the crop to flourish. This kind of irrigation method is best suitable for
irrigation of row crops like cotton, sugarcane, fruit plants like mango, apple, bananas,
strawberries and various vegetables and floriculture.

Historically, under the Israel’s Water Law, water was termed as a public property. To
manage this public good the country held a very controlled, centralized system; waters prices
were set low so that farmers could produce food cheaply, for both domestic consumption, and
for export purposes.

Israel’s water policy has always been a part of their ‘hydrological socialism’. Water
was extracted from rich regions of the northern Galilee, and sent to the dry southlands
through a National Water Carrier. Through this way, the arid and semiarid Negev desert
become productive agricultural areas. This system, however, produced waste and
inefficiency. Under the new water management system, there was increased privatization of
water supply and production, subsidy reductions, and differential pricing for consumers while
agricultural users paid less. Agricultural productivity, encouraged through government
policies, was in no way attained through water pricing, and these non-market management
strategies even now continue to dominate the water policy for Israel. Private corporations
began to produce water and price was set by the demand and supply. Reverse osmosis
desalination plants were set up in 2002, which increased more than 30 percent of water
supply. Another major institutional transformation took place in the form of water and
sewage management. These reformations helped Israel maintain a highly profitable
agriculture sector.

Israel constitutes 75 percent dry, crusty land. It receives about an average of 90

millimeters precipitation annually, most of which is absorbed by the rocky soil. The modern
drip irrigation adopted by Israel, along with other institutional transformations, has
revolutionized the water management system in the world. Israel used technology interface in
the form of micro planning. Through the modern drip irrigation, natural resources; land,
water, air, and sunlight, are used to maximize agricultural per unit output. Through the plastic
tubing in the drip model, water is delivered, most of which is treated wastewater, directly to
the roots of crops and plants even in desert cities like Beersheba.

The National Water Policy of Pakistan was a commendable step passed by the
government. Among other salient features, the policy called for an Integrated Water Resource
Management (IWRM) system to be in place. In this climate change situation, the approach
needs to be revised and should focus more on ‘Climate Resilient Water Management’.
Only 5 percent of farmers all over the world are using drip irrigation, and majority
still use traditional flood irrigation in which 60 percent of irrigation water is lost through
drainage, evaporation, run off, or leakage. On the contrary, drip irrigation devices, cut down
water use by almost 90 percent. Through this method, farmers get to spend less on expensive
water and more on efficiently using their resources. Just like the topography of Israel,
Pakistan comprises of large areas of dry, and semi-arid, lands, with fickle precipitation and
extreme weather trends that do not suit crop production. The National Water Policy of
Pakistan was a commendable step passed by the government. Among other salient features,
the policy called for an Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) system to be in
place. In this climate change situation, the approach needs to be revised and should focus
more on ‘Climate Resilient Water Management’. Following Israel’s lead, Pakistan can also
turn its dry lands into crop fields by adopting modern irrigation technologies like the modern
drip irrigation system. With the constant increase in population growth of the country, soon
there will be twice as many people to feed. Future climatic scenario of Pakistan also predicts
many hazards for the agriculture sector. Availability of water has already become a severe
issue of today, and is threatening further water and food security. Therefore, it is imperative
that an effective, sustainable plan to tackle the problem of water scarcity is put to motion.
Water Policy of India:
National Water Policy is formulated by the Ministry of Water Resources of the Government
of India to govern the planning and development of water resources and their optimum
utilization. The first National Water Policy was adopted in September, 1987.[1] It was
reviewed and updated in 2002 and later in 2012.

India accounts for 18% of the world population and about 4% of the world’s water resources.
One of the solutions to solve the country’s water woes is to link the rivers.[2]

India has been successful in creating live water storage capacity of about 253 billion cubic
meter(BCM) so far. In a first, the ecological needs of river have also been taken into
consideration.

Salient features of Indian water policy:

The major provisions under the policy are:

 Envisages to establish a standardized national information system with a network of

data banks and data bases .
 Resource planning and recycling for providing maximum availability.
 To give importance to the impact of projects on human settlements and environment.
 Guidelines for the safety of storage dams and other water-related structures.
 Regulate exploitation of groundwater .
 Setting water allocation priorities in the following order: Drinking water, Irrigation,
Hydropower, Navigation, Industrial and other uses.
 The water rates for surface water and ground water should be rationalized with due
regard to the interests of small and marginal farmers.

The policy also deals with participation of farmers and voluntary agencies, water quality,
water zoning, conservation of water, flood and drought management, erosion etc

Indian Water Policy and Pakistan:

The one of the main reason of conflict between Pakistan and India is also water in
history and in present as ell as this is a big issue which leads to a bigger conflict.

Modi’s Government had made of a lot of small dams to store water. It was a big step that was
the key salient feature of water policy. But it has lead to threat in Pakistan that by 2025 water
resources will be finished. So this is also an evil but genius move by India. Here is some
briefed details about the conflicts and current situation regarding water.

Indus water treaty

The Indus water treaty was developed to solve the water dispute between Pakistan and India
during the 1960s. This treaty set out how water from the various rivers is to be shared
between India and Pakistan. India was granted access to the Jhelum, Chenab and Indus rivers
for purposes of developing hydro-electricity but not construction of dams. However, for
development in these rivers to be acceptable, India is expected to provide technical details of
projects to Pakistan before commencing operations. India on the other hand has access to the
Beas, Sutlej and Ravi rivers. For Pakistan to develop these rivers, it is similarly expected to
provide India with details, before commencing operations. Pakistan is also not allowed to
develop dams along these three rivers. When India was constructing the Baglihar Dam,
Pakistan had several concerns which it raised during this process. These include the dam size,
design, water capacity and gated spillways. Although there have been numerous discussions
on these contentious issues, the 1960 treaty has been insufficient in ending the conflict.
Present status of the dispute

The dispute between Pakistan and India over water has continued over several decades.
Currently, the dispute revolves around the construction of a hydro-electric plant along a
tributary of Indus, which is Kishenganga River. Although India is defending its right to
construct the dam, Pakistan is raising several issues over the project. Pakistan explains that
India is planning to divert the river course and this is bound to have adverse effects on
Pakistani who rely on the river. Pakistani officials explain that this would reduce the capacity
of the river by more than 30% during winter as a result. When this happens, the Pakistani
plans to construct their own dam will be adversely affected. However, the dispute is about to
be solved through arbitration, as both parties are hopeful to see this mechanism work.

Conclusions
Let us review: Israeli water policy is and has been for many years a nearly unmitigated
disaster, producing waste, misallocation of water, and environmental destruction. In addition,
water policy has had a direct and harmful impact on agricultural productivity and export
performance. Israel’s limited water resources could be exploited to produce greater economic
value in agriculture and greater foreign exchange earnings for farm exports. This is prevented
by the existing system of wasteful, politicized, administrative allocation of water. As far as
India is concerned both states have to be gather at a point to make thing stabilize otherwise its
not possible to bring harmony and solve issue in the region.

Recommendations

The national water strategy must be based upon two essential elements covering

 Water developments

 Water management

The water development strategy is largely based upon construction of new storage reservoirs
where as the water management strategy will help in reducing the present losses.
Water development

In this construction of following dams should start immediately:-

(a) Chasha dam
It would be located 200 miles upstream of terbela on river Indus. its gross storage
capacity would be 7.3 maf and live storage 5.7 maf. Its power generation capacity would
be 3360 mw.

(b) Kalabagh dam

Kalabagh dam site is located 132 miles down stream of Terbela. Its gross storage would
be 6.1 maf. It would have a power generation of 3600 mw. Here I shall further suggest
that the construction of Kalabagh be under taken only, once all the provinces are
convinced and willing to cooperate.

(c) Thal reservoir

It would be located on the right bank of Chashma – Jhelum link canal, along the western
bank of river Jhelum. Its reservoir would have gross capacity of 2.3 maf.

(d) Raised Mangla dam

in this the present Mangla dam would be further raised by 40 ft and thus increasing its
gross capacity to 9.5 maf. In addition, its power generation capacity would be increased
by 15%.

(e) Mirani dam

The dam is located on Dasht River about 48 km of Turbat town in Mekran division. Its
main objective is to provide water for irrigation. Its gross storage is 0.30 maf.

(f) Gomalzam dam

It is located at KhajoriKach on Gomal River in South Waziristan, about 75 miles from
Dera Ismail Khan. Its main objective will be to irrigate 132000 acres of land, power
generation of 17.4 mw and flood control.

From these projects we shall be able to store additional 20maf of water.

Water management
Managing water resources is the need of time, and we in Pakistan already short of water,
must chalk out a strategy. In this endeavor can be made to save around 1.3 maf of water
from existing losses. following is recommended in this regard:-

 Presently the losses occur due to seepage, infiltration and leakages etc. seepage results
in water logging and these losses can be reduced or eliminated by lining the canals.

 In addition, people should be educated to conserve water by cooperation.

 Further more government should make laws on water conservation, like many western
countries.
  The second largest contribution to the total water available comes from the
groundwater sources. This source has been exploited and very well used by public and
private tube wells. It can still provide over nine maf of water. This source can be
exploited and judiciously used for irrigation purposes. How ever in some areas ground
water is rapidly depleting due to excessive pumpage, authorities should take control in
such areas to save them from depleting.

 Efforts be made to convert the present rotation based irrigation system to demand
oriented system.

 The modern irrigation techniques, that is trickling, sprinkling etc, which have a
potential to improve water distribution and its utilization.

 Authorities should take appropriate steps to curb the illegal extraction of water and
ensure its equitable distribution.

 Presently irrigation department has failed to stop the illegal theft and extraction; thus
irrigation distribution system needs to be privatized through water user associations.

 In addition, water, now-a-days is supplied to farmers at a very negligible cost and that
is why they do not treat water as a precious resource; therefore there is a need to
increase the water prices to make irrigators realize the importance of this asset.

 Farmer’s organizations, water user association, and private sector be involved in

construction, operation, and maintenance of the irrigation system. Such associations
are conceived as a mechanism for creating a cooperative frame work for improvement
of watercourses.

References:
http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-compulsory-subjects/current-affairs/current-affairs-
notes/22300-water-crisis-pakistan-its-remedies.html

https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/international-law/the-india-pakistan-water-
dispute-international-law-essay.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Water_Policy

https://www.africanwater.org/policyandlaw.htm

https://cscr.pk/explore/themes/energy-environment/applying-israels-water-policy-to-pakistan/