National News

ISLAMABAD, (APP): The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) on Monday expressed concern over
lessening water resources terming it the biggest threat to the
country.
Scarcity of water is threatening masses, agriculture and
industry across the country but situation in Balochistan is very
serious which can effect law and order and the economic corridor
project, said Abdul Rauf Alam, President FPCCI, said a press release
here.
Balochistan is facing water table depletion with a fast pace
which must be noticed lest it take an ugly turn as half of the
population of that underdeveloped province depends on agriculture,
he added.
Rauf Alam said that scarcity of water has increased cost of
agricultural and industrial production which increased extraction of
ground water has put additional burden on government in form of
subsidies for tube wells.
Now, our agriculture sector is satisfying 40 percent of it
water requirement through tube wells which is not sustainable, he
noted.
He said that Pakistan needed a dam of size of Turbela every 10
years but it was ignored resulting in costly electricity which
compromised ability of export sector.
Climate change is a bigger rick than water aggression and
wastage which should get top priority, he said adding that water
security should be part of our foreign, internal and economic
policies.
We should have an agreed upon water policy, improved water
diplomacy and the water reservoirs should be declared strategic
assets, new reservoirs should be constructed immediately otherwise
our water economy will become weaker by the passage of every day.