“More rain means more water.”
This phrase undoubtedly echoes in every Pakistani’s ears each year when the monsoon arrives, often accompanied by the addition, “When there’s more water, there’s more damage and more lives lost.”
Yet, it seems that no official has ever been moved by these concerns or has prepared any strategy in advance for such natural disasters.
History shows that when streets are flooded to the point where someone could easily drown or boats could navigate them, our “diligent” officials are seen briefly on the streets wearing big boots, but only for a short time.
Every year, the country suffers billions in damage during the monsoon season, hundreds of precious lives are lost, floods occur, and some settlements are swept away along with their life savings and dreams. Sometimes, people themselves become victims of these ruthless waves.
However, there is one institution tasked with handling natural disasters that annually reports how many people have died, how many are injured, and how much damage has occurred due to monsoon rains. This institution is the “National Disaster Management Authority” (NDMA). According to their latest report, from July 1 to August 18, 189 people have died and dozens are injured across the country. Many settlements have been washed away, roofs have collapsed, and deaths have occurred due to electric shocks. All this is then summarized in a report and presented to the nation.
Beyond the damage, we cannot even estimate how much of this precious resource—water—is wasted. Pakistan is a country where, if existing resources are used effectively, no one could stop us from transitioning from a developing to a developed nation. Pakistan has excellent water resources, but despite ample water availability, no government since the country’s inception has prioritized reforms in the water sector or increased water reservoirs. While the population and their needs have grown, the expansion of water reservoirs has not kept pace.
A 2019 report by the World Bank revealed that Pakistan spends about 4% of its GDP, or approximately 12 billion rupees annually, on water, drainage, floods, and drought.
The irrigation sector contributes up to 22 billion dollars annually to the country’s total production, and the four main crops—wheat, rice, cotton, and sugarcane—that use 80% of the water, contribute 5% to GDP, or 14 billion dollars annually.
Pakistan’s irrigation system is among the largest in the world, covering 45 million acres of agricultural land. This system primarily consists of three major reservoirs: Mangla, Tarbela, and Chashma, along with 19 barrages, 12 inter-river link canals, 45 independent irrigation canals, and 143 medium-sized dams.
However, it is unfortunate that no significant policies or measures have been taken for these resources. As a result of this negligence and climate change, Pakistan has suffered a total loss of over 37 billion dollars due to 21 severe floods in recent years.
These floods, which ravaged over 600,000 square kilometers, have claimed the lives of 11,572 people, while 188,531 villages have been inundated, causing widespread destruction to crops and homes. The 2010 flood, considered the worst in Pakistan’s history, affected 20 million people.
The National Flood Protection Plan proposed a viable plan for the reconstruction of the country’s current water infrastructure and expansion of water resources, but unfortunately, no progress has been made on this front. This is why, with the onset of the monsoon season from July to September, flood risks loom over most areas of the country.
So, how can we protect ourselves from the devastation caused by these rains?
If projects are planned to construct underground water storage systems in cities to safely reuse monsoon rainwater, the wastage of water can certainly be prevented. This would ensure that rainwater does not pool on streets during the monsoon season, thereby preventing damage to roads and maintaining smooth traffic flow while avoiding accidents.
The biggest benefit would be that underground water would not need to be used for park irrigation; instead, the stored rainwater could be used for this purpose, saving electricity used for running tube wells. If such projects are implemented, international organizations would also be willing to offer generous assistance.
It is crucial to work on such projects to prevent the wastage of rainwater and utilize it effectively. This is certainly possible if the nation and its leaders collaborate in their efforts!