Daily Archives: July 21, 2022

PROF. AMJAD HUSSAIN SHAH

According to International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan stands third in the world among countries facing severe water shortage that is likely to reach its peak by 2025. Global warming has inflicted huge problems for Pakistan as our Himalayan glaciers are melting at an intimidating pace which poses enormous threat to the survival of people in the next two or three decades.

Beautiful Swat valley, though generally rich in water resourcefulness, has been facing an underground recession in water levels. Towns like Mingora, Charbagh, Kabal, and suburbs are facing critical water shortages due to rapid expansion in population and deforestation. Even the natural springs are drying up quite rapidly. Everywhere people are drilling to get an individual source of clean drinking water which is leading to a considerable menace in the days to come in the Malakand division.

Several other areas of KP have also victim of this problem. The worst-hit areas in this regard are Laki Marwat, Karak, and Tank. The Marwat canal has been closed for approximately the last twenty years. This has caused an acute water shortage in Laki Marwat. River Gambila has been deficient in water. This situation has badly affected agricultural production in the region. Karak district has been facing difficulties in the accessibility of drinking water as most open wells and tube wells have dried up due to either recession in underground water levels or disproportionate drilling which is adding more to the water shortage.

The worst-hit villages include Takht Nasrati and its outskirts. If the authorities don’t exercise discrete planning and execution of constructing tube wells, therefore, the water accessibility will surely deteriorate in the been next few years.

Power failures are also affecting the water supply in the Karak region. Salty water has been adding fire to the fuel. Whereas, the Tank region suffers a shortage of water due to lack of water reservoirs.  Almost all regions of KP are suffering underground water level recession which is creating an alarming sign for the future.

Pakistan receives 145 million acre-feet through its rivers out of which 105 million acre-feet of water goes wasted as it cannot be stored. We need 40 million acre-feet to fulfill our agricultural and domestic needs. Colorado River’s annual flow is 10 million acre feet. Storage capacity on the river is 60 million acre feet, 6 times its total yearly flow. The river serves 7 US states and Mexico. The Nile has an annual flow of 40 million acre feet with a storage capacity of 123 million acre feet, 3 times its total yearly flow.

Pakistan’s reported storage capacity stands at 13-15 million acre feet. Our canal diversion is almost 100 million acre feet. Imagine what we can potentially do with all this water stored and utilized properly. Our fragile economy can really boost with it. Regrettably, we don’t have sufficient dams to hold this abundant amount of water. Even though dams are being constructed which include Mohamand Dam, Diamer Basha Dam, Balakot hydro Project, Bisham Dam, Zeibi Dam (Karak), and Cherat Dam, but these are not enough. This year since April 2022, Tarbela Dam, Khan Pur Dam, Kundal Lake (Swabi), and Tanda Dam are facing a 38 to 48 percent water shortage due to little rainfall in the country as compared to previous years. Population growth, deforestation, and unplanned urbanization are some other factors that also add to the growing need for drinking water. Lack of awareness among the Govt. stakeholders, who deal with such crises, is also one of the factors responsible for water shortage crises.

The solution to this frightening situation of water shortage generally in Pakistan and specifically in KP lies in the agreement to the construction of the long-delayed and politically victimized project of Kalabagh Dam, Diamer Basha Dam, Balakot hydro Project, Bisham Dam, Zeibi Dam (Karak), and Cherat Dam, but these are not enough. This year since April 2022, Tarbela Dam, Khan Pur Dam, Kundal Lake (Swabi), and Tanda Dam are facing a 38 to 48 percent water shortage due to little rainfall in the country as compared to previous years. Population growth, deforestation, and unplanned urbanization are some other factors that also add to the growing need for drinking water. Lack of awareness among the Govt. stakeholders, who deal with such crises, is also one of the factors responsible for water shortage crises.

The solution to this frightening situation of water shortage generally in Pakistan and specifically in KP lies in the agreement to the construction of the long-delayed and politically victimized project of Kalabagh.

Dam alongside the construction of water reservoirs. If the nation has to settle the water shortage issue on firm grounds, the above-mentioned dam must be constructed on a priority basis otherwise we will move from bad to the worst shortly. Building dams is only one aspect of tackling Pakistan’s water crisis.

We need to begin working on water conservation and the introduction of less water-intensive irrigation techniques too. This has to be a multi-pronged strategy. Furthermore, plantation needs to be enhanced to receive more rainfalls as currently, our country gets 240 mm of rainfall per year. The water management boards should come up with the construction of reservoirs to preserve rainwater to be utilized for agricultural needs. Our irrigation techniques also need to be developed alongside change in our water habits.

Note: The Author is an Assistant Professor in Cadet College Swat

AMNA NOREEN

Erstwhile FATA was a hotbed for the recruitment and training of terrorists after 9/11. Terrorists established their strongholds in this area as the state authority & governance was never extended to these lands since 1947. In absence of Pakistani laws, the area was known as ‘Aalaqa Ghair’ once.

From 2002-03, the Pakistan army entered the area to uproot hideouts of these terrorists and stop growing terrorism in Pakistan; security forces conducted scores of full-scale military operations which unfortunately also caused internal displacement. The region been reclaimed after huge sacrifices colossal human and material costs. The meager infrastructure built-in 70-plus years in the entire 27,220sq km of the region obliterated.

As people in these districts follow strict codes based on Pashtun traditions, Pakistan Army took each tribe into confidence and proposed  projects according to the needs of each area.

Pakistan Army began to carry out rehabilitation and restoration in 2015 when the government of Pakistan announced the rehabilitation of FATA. This explains Pakistan’s success model in insurgency-infected areas. The model is based on the strategy of carrying out the kinetic operation on one hand while pushing for reforms and rehabilitation on the other hand. These reforms eventually led to the merging of these restive areas into KP province in May 2018. 5 key areas were identified in this regard 1) Health 2) Education 3) Socio-economic uplifting 4) Strengthening law and order, and 5) Strengthening social cohesion and peace building.

In the health sector, a major transformation was witnessed when the Pakistan army with the cooperation of foreign and local funding restored   District   Headquarter   Hospitals (DHQs) in all 7 NMDs, along with the restoration and uplifting of 38 ealthcare facilities where new modern equipment and trained staff was provided to ensure better healthcare services for locals. To expand the scope of DHQs, bed capacities in these hospitals have been increased as well. Apart from DHQs, major hospitals were established with the cooperation of friendly countries such as Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed and Sheikha Fatima Category-A Agency Hospital benefitting more than 6 million people in FATA, Swat, and Malakand divisions.

Pakistan Army played a key role in initiating the polio eradication campaigns by providing security to polio teams. Consequently, the polio cases dropped to eight in 2017 from 306 reported in 2014.

In the education domain, the Pakistan army spearheaded the restoration of existing schools and the establishment of modern, state-of-the-art educational facilities for both male and female students across the tribal region. Due to prolonged violence in the region, education was the worst affected area of administration. As per reports, adult literacy was just below 30% while the national average is around 75%. Pakistan army along with the KP government has built more than 300 small and large schools. Pakistan Army took the educational initiative and established cadet colleges. Cadet College Wana, Spinkai Mohmad Gat, the education complex Bajaur Khar, and the education complex in Parachinar are a few examples of the Pakistan Army’s commitment to local youth.  Due to these state of art educational facilities in the area, enrollment of students at various levels has increased.

The biggest challenge in the NMDs after the return of peace was the recovery of socio-economic activities in the area so that economic activities could rehabilitate. This was a critical requirement for IDPs to return to their homes and to ensure law and order in the region. Local youth were an easy target for terrorist organisations for recruitment due to poor socio-economic opportunities in the restive tribal areas. In this regard, building communication means was a daunting challenge. In this sphere, Pakistan Army has built around 1300 km of major roads. So far, projects completed by Pakistan’s Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) have included 18 major roads extending 1,205 kilometers, two large bridges, and a tunnel. The newly reconstructed Peshawar-Torkham Road is the most significant for accessibility of FATA with landlocked Afghanistan and the Central Asian states. FWO also built the Torkham-Jalalabad Road inside Afghanistan to facilitate two – way traffic between the the neighbors.

Afghanistan and Pakistan have a new land link through the Dera Ismail Khan-Wana-Angoor Ada Road, which closed more than a century ago. The 80-kilometer Bannu-Miranshah-Ghulam Khan Road is the northern prong of a central trade corridor that passes through prominent towns of North Waziristan and Tochi Pass. The 75-kilometer Wana-Shakai-Makeen Road completed by FWO links Wana, the capital of South Waziristan, with North Waziristan from where the 73-kilometer Makeen-Razmak-Miranshah Road stretches to the Afghan border.

Roads are pathways of economic activities generated in business hubs. To build business hubs in NMDs, Pakistan Army once again came to the fore and established markets and business centers including more than 3000 shops divided into various markets and bazaars. Mir Ali Market in the North Waziristan district is a prime example of these business hubs.

Rehabilitation process in NMDs and the role the Pakistan Army has been playing in it since 2015 and even before is a shining chapter of our national history. This shows the inseparable bond between the people of Pakistan and the Pakistan Army. Pakistan Army has transformed war-torn areas into thriving social centers. This transformation is the only success story in more than two decades-long global war on terror. Pakistan Army’s role in nation-building is not confined to NMDs. Pakistan Army carried out its glorious tradition of owning the people of Pakistan and this tradition is as old as Pakistan and there is no doubt it will grow stronger with time.

In Sha Allah!