Running short of time and options
Just like we are running out of water.
At last! A plea for improvements to the distribution network as well as water supply.
It comes from Dawn in Pakistan.
More extreme weather events have meant a reduction in snowfall of 26%. Water supply comes from snowmelt.
So reservoirs are depleted and the hydroelectric power they generate non-existent.
The Indus river is reduced to 40% of its normal flow.
Agriculture is threatened.
The plaintive cry is that “no government has shown any urgency to deal with the formidable challenge to food and the long-term economic security of the country’s 220m residents. The present crisis should be a wake-up call for federal and provincial authorities. It is time they took stock of Pakistan’s biggest existential challenge and crafted holistic policies to improve governance in the water sector, built reservoirs for times of shortages, and improved the water transmission infrastructure. The authorities must realise that we are running short of time and options, just like we are running out of water.”
Sadly, there are few precedents for legislation and timely action to avert such crises. It might still get worse before it gets better.
Photo by AhsaAn Alii under Creative Commons license.