Water experts and agronomist have warned that without immediate attention to the proper use of water, Pakistan will face a serious problem in the not too distant future. Convenor Punjab Water Council, Farooq Bajwa, said that water availability had declined from about 5,000 cubic meters (cm) per capita in the early 1950s to less than 1,500 cm in 2010.
He proposed construction of Kalabagh dam and other big and small reservoirs already approved by the WAPDA engineers for agriculture, hydel power generation and clean drinking water purposes. According to 2008 data from the Food and Agricultural Organisation, Pakistan ranked last on a list of 26 Asian countries in terms of water availability. The country is expected to become “water scarce” which is defined as a country with annual availability of below 1,000 cm by 2035 – though some experts project that this could happen as soon as 20205.
