Water wastage: WWF statistics

Daily Times - March 23, 2005
70pc of water wasted due to poor govt policies: WWF

LAHORE: The water shortage in Pakistan is increasing and 70 percent of available water is going to waste due to poor government policies, said Hamad Naqi Khan, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Nature director.

Talking to journalists at the Lahore Press Club in connection with World Water Day on Tuesday, Khan said that water availability was decreasing at an alarming rate. He said efforts to conserve water resources must be intensified to meet growing demand due to the increasing population and industrialisation.

He said though water availability would improve after the expansion of Mangla Dam by 2011, there would still a 25 percent shortage for the then population.

The WWF director suggested that meters be installed on domestic water supply connections across the country to control water waste.

To a question, he said that WWF-Pakistan was raising awareness among the public and it had launched several fresh water programmes in consultation with governmental and non-governmental organisations. He said that water contained many elements that were harmful for health so potable water should be supplied to the public. He emphasised the need to teach people to store water.

The director said that the availability of drinking water was one of the major issues faced by the country. People were forced to drink contaminated water, which was causing skin diseases and bone deformities, he said. He said that the WWF would fund several projects to minimise industrial waste. He said that WWF would soon launch the $14 million Pakistan Wetland Management Programme.