Perilous Times
Drought: Pakistan's woes compounded by severe water crisis
The Associated Press
Monday, July 26, 2010; 12:00 AM
ISLAMABAD -- Besides grappling with insurgents, suicide bombers and
deep poverty, Pakistan is facing a severe crisis as a ballooning
population and inefficient farming combine to reduce the availability
of water.
Up to a third of Pakistan's 175 million people lack safe drinking water
and nearly 630 children die each day from diarrhea, according to a
study done last year by the U.S.-based Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars.
Water availability per person in Pakistan has fallen from about 5,000
cubic meters (175,000 cubic feet) in 1947, when the country was
founded, to around 1,000 cubic meters (35,000 cubic feet) today.
Most of the drop is the result of a population that has more than
quadrupled since independence, but many scientists predict global
warming could have a significant impact by shrinking the glaciers that
feed Pakistan's rivers.
Experts also point to inefficient irrigation methods in Pakistan as a
key factor.
At least 90 percent of Pakistan's water is used for farming, and around
25 percent is wasted by farms that use flood irrigation, according to
last year's study.