fter security, water is the most discussed core issue in Pakistan. The government’s Green Pakistan Initiative is facing severe criticism at regional as well as national levels. Many private stakeholders as well as the Sindh government have been very critical of the project, fearing that it will cause acute water shortages in Sindh. Some stakeholders in the Punjab too are of the view that this approach to agricultural development in semi- arid regions is inappropriate.

Apart from the agricultural project, the status of water access and availability to various categories of users is ‘severely constrained.’ City administrations are struggling to provide water in adequate quantities to their inhabitants. The most crucial issue is the supply of safe drinking water, which amounts to a basic human right. It may be noted that drinking water accounts for less than five percent of the water consumed in the country. Despite the launch of several policy documents in the recent past, this issue continues to haunt us even in major cities. Karachi makes an important case study due to its size and peculiarity of water supply problems. Other major cities also face similar problems of water quality and volume.

According to a recent report by the Ministry of Water Resources, 61 percent of water samples in 29 cities were found contaminated and unfit for drinking. The studies revealed that 93 percent of Karachi’s water is contaminated; Multan’s tally is 94 percent; and Muzaffarabad has reported 70 percent contamination. The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources investigates water quality in various locations and from time to time shares the studies with stakeholders. Given better awareness about health costs and their better purchasing power, the middle- and upper-income groups in cities either use bottled water or resort to filtration, ultra violet treatment devices or boiling. The poor lack awareness as well as the means to make water safe for consumption. Conventionally, piped supply has been the usual mode through which most households receive their water. This is true for both planned and unplanned localities in big cities. Barring a few locations, the network of pipes has been found to exist in dilapidated and dysfunctional state. This network was laid down by multiple agencies and in varying ways. Poor quality of work, dubious area choices, lack of prevention from hazards such as adjoining sewers/ drains and inappropriate connections with secondary or main supply lines are frequent ailments.

As a consequence, the water quality is affected by the mixing of impurities of lethal nature. In many cities, ground water is locally extracted for domestic consumption. In several cities such as Quetta, the ground water levels have dropped significantly due to erratic rainfall, poor recharge rates due to surface sand removal and other local factors. Prevalence of high arsenic content in water is also a challenge faced by many cities. Lahore is an important example of this. Peshawar too relies on ground water for common consumption. While the general conditions of water quality and quantity are satisfactory now, many locations in the city are experiencing depletion. An astute water conservation regime is needed to protect the aquifer for present and future uses. Consumers in Islamabad now live with the new normal of erratic water supply. Residents have to resort to water tankers on a routine basis. With more people added to the capital, this stress on water demand will increase. The Capital Development Authority and Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad shall have to take cognizance of this situation and evolve solutions for adequate water supplies to all on war footings.

Water vending is a booming business in our cities. What evolved as an emergency service has now become a full-fledged enterprise awaiting official recognition.

Water vending is a booming business in many cities. What evolved as an emergency service by many water utilities and municipal organisation to serve its clientele has now become a full-fledged enterprise awaiting official recognition. Karachi, which once received most of its water from Indus, is now heavily dependent on water supply through tankers. According to tanker operators, more than 8.5 million gallons per day (mgd) water is distributed through over 50,000 tanker trips each day. Water deficient neighbourhoods, peripheral squatters, construction sites, industrial enterprises, temporary congregations and special locations, such as sacrificial animal market, are its routine clients. The water supplied by vendors is 23 times more expensive than piped water. Besides, the city has dozens of illegal boreholes/ hydrants that supply saline or brackish water for non-drinking uses. Due to scarcity, some citizens are forced to use this water for drinking as well. On a national scale, water consumption is tilting towards non-piped options. A report by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics informs that as per 2020 data, only 57 percent of Sindh’s urban area households depend on piped water supply. In Balochistan, this figure is 55 percent; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has 49 percent, and the Punjab 18 percent. No wonder water tankers are thriving. The demand for water processed through reverse osmosis plants is also increasing.

Many technical solutions for water quality management are available. Global organisations such as the International Water Association and the World Bank have developed performance indicator-based tool kits to monitor the characteristics of a supply system including water quality. In large cities such as Karachi, the nature of pollutants varies a lot. From faecal coliforms and other bacterial contaminants to chemical/ industrial pollutants, the range is wide. Remedies can only be worked out after specific determination of the causes in each case.

Water supply is an extremely sensitive urban service. According to a World Health Organisation report, 240 grams of a lethal chemical is enough to convert 4mgd of water into poison. Given the present socio-economic chaos and terrorist threats from various quarters, the need for an extremely vigilant water quality monitoring system is vital.

The writer is an academic and researcher based in Karachi