What will be impact of global warming and water crisis on global and on Pakistan level

Global Impact:

The major effects of climate change are global warming, ozone layer depletion, a rise of sea levels,
melting of glaciers and destruction of habitats for many living organisms and cause of many diseases.
According to recent studies, the melting of glaciers is leading to the extinction of animals. The ozone
layer depletion is resulting in many skins and breathing diseases.

Rising Sea Levels

Climate change impacts rising sea levels. Average sea level around
the world rose about 8 inches (20 cm) in the past 100 years;
climate scientists expect it to rise more and more rapidly in the next
100 years as part of climate change impacts.
Coastal cities such as New York are already seeing an increased
number of flooding events and by 2050 many such cities may
require seawalls to survive. Estimates vary, but conservatively sea
levels are expected to rise 1 to 4 feet (30 to 100 cm), enough to
flood many small Pacific island states (Vanatu), famous beach
resorts (Hilton Head) and coastal cities (Bangkok, Boston).

Melting Ice

Projections suggest climate change impacts within the next 100

years, if not sooner, the world’s glaciers will have disappeared, as
will the Polar ice cap, and the huge Antarctic ice shelf, Greenland
may be green again, and snow will have become a rare
phenomenon at what are now the world’s most popular ski resorts.

Torrential downpours and more powerful storms

While the specific conditions that produce rainfall will not change,
climate change impacts the amount of water in the atmosphere and
will increase producing violent downpours instead of steady showers
when it does rain.

Hurricanes and typhoons will increase in power, and flooding will

become more common.

Anyone in the United States who has tried to buy storm and flood
insurance in the past few years knows that the insurance industry is
completely convinced that climate change is raising sea levels and
increasing the number of major storms and floods. (To understand
the insurance industry’s thinking on the subject, consider the chart
below compiled by Munich Re-Insurance.)

Heatwaves and droughts

Despite downpours in some places, droughts and prolonged

heatwaves will become common.

Rising temperatures are hardly surprising, although they do not

mean that some parts of the world will not “enjoy” record cold
temperatures and terrible winter storms. (Heating disturbs the
entire global weather system and can shift cold upper air currents
as well as hot dry ones. Single snowballs and snowstorms do not
make climate change refutations.)

Increasingly, however, hot, dry places will get hotter and drier, and
places that were once temperate and had regular rainfall will
become much hotter and much drier.

The string of record high temperature years and the record number
of global droughts of the past decade will become the norm, not the
surprise that they have seemed.

Changing ecosystems

As the world warms, entire ecosystems will move.

Already rising temperatures at the equator have pushed such staple

crops as rice north into once cooler areas, many fish species have
migrated long distances to stay in waters that are the proper
temperature for them.

In once colder waters, this may increase fishermen’s catches; in

warmer waters, it may eliminate fishing; in many places, such as on
the East Coast of the US, it will require fishermen to go further to
reach fishing grounds.

Farmers in temperate zones are finding drier conditions difficult for

crops such as corn and wheat, and once prime growing zones are
now threatened.

Some areas may see complete ecological change.

In California and on the East Coast, for example, climate change
impacts and warming will soon fundamentally change the forests; in
Europe, hundreds of plants species will disappear and hundreds
more will move thousands of miles.
Pakistan Level:

Pakistan is among 10 countries affected most by climate change, according to the 2018
Global Climate Risk Index released by the public policy group Germanwatch.

Bridging the Middle East and South Asia, Pakistan is in a geographic location where
average temperatures are predicted to rise faster than elsewhere, increasing 7.2 degrees
Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) by the year 2100, according to a 2012 World Wildlife Fund
report.

This past April 30, the temperature in the southern city of Nawabshah soared to
122.4 degrees Fahrenheit (50.2 degrees Celsius), the hottest day on earth ever recorded
in April, the Pakistan Meteorological Department and World Meteorological Organization
said. It was even hotter in the southern city of Turbat on May 28, 2017, when the
temperature hit a sizzling 128.3 degrees Fahrenheit (53.5 Celsius).

“We are planning to move to other places due to extreme heat in our area,"
Nawabshah resident Azhar Rashid said in an interview. "We are surprised by every new
summer here starting with high temperatures that badly affect our daily routine and jobs.”

So far this year, more than 60 people have died from the heat in Karachi, the country's
largest city. Many more die of heat-related illnesses across the country, but exact numbers
of deaths are not kept.

In June 2015, more than 1,200 people died from the heat nationwide and 65,000 were
treated for heat illnesses, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority for the Karachi
region reported.

Depleting water supplies are another problem in a country where 60 percent of the land
receives less than 10 inches of rain per year. Rivers are mainly fed by the Hindu Kush-
Karakoram Himalayan glaciers, which are melting rapidly due to global warming.

More: Global warming risk: Rising temperatures from climate change linked to rise in
suicides

More: Climate Point: Summer is getting warmer, faster

More: CSI Earth: Human 'fingerprints' detected in Earth's seasonal temperature changes
Pakistan’s greenhouse gases emissions have doubled in last 2 decades. On a global scale, Pakistan
ranks 135th in per capita GHG emissions in the world. The agriculture sector is the victim of abrupt
climate change in a country. 65-70% of country’s population is directly or indirectly related to
agriculture.

The availability of fresh water is mostly affected by a change in climate. The water resources of
Pakistan are scarce which directly relates to food insecurity, especially in rural areas. The arid and
semi-arid zones are the most vulnerable to climate change as these regions are already facing water
shortage and high temperature.
The seasonal changes are changing sowing time for crops which consequently changes irrigation
requirements which modify the properties of soil and increase the risk of pest and disease attack,
negatively altering agricultural productivity.

The recent studies indicate that Pakistan’s 22.8% land and 49.6% population is at risk due to impacts
of climate change. The diseases which are transmitted by vectors for example malaria, dengue
cholera etc that are already cause of low mortality rate in Pakistan are climate sensitive.

Climate change scenarios have resulted in an increase in the epidemic potential for 12-27 percent for
malaria and 31-47 percent of dengue.

Possible Solutions to Climate Change

There are many solutions to climate change which involve community, individuals, governments and
other agencies of the world.

 More and more trees should be planted.

 Energy should be used efficiently.
 Renewable power sources should be adopted.
 The garbage should not be burned or burry in landfills. It may be made composts for kitchen
gardens.
 The loss of water in any form should be checked.
 Electric automobiles should be preferred.
 Recycling is one of the most effective ways to check carbon emissions.
 Media should spread awareness regarding the effects of climate change.
 Use eco-friendly appliances.
  The treatment of industrial waste should be made mandatory all over the world.
 Governments should start taking this problem seriously.
 They should implement Paris agreement in their countries.
 They should start investing in projects which can try to minimize climate change.
 Plastic should not be used. Environment-friendly shopper bags should be used.
 Use of aerosol sprays should be minimized.
 The misuse of fertilizers should be avoided.
 Water should be used wisely.
 The power generation should be done by environmental friendly means.
 Conservation practices should be adopted regarding agriculture.

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Home » Articles » You are reading »

Water crisis – impacts and management in

Pakistan
Aniqa Mubeen, Abdul Shakoor and Dr. Muhammad Farrukh Saleem March 23, 2015 Water crisis – impacts and management in
Pakistan2015-03-23T00:00:00+05:00Articles 3 Comments

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Water is essential to sustain quality of life on earth. This limited commodity has a direct bearing on
almost all sectors of economy. In Pakistan its significance is more than ordinary due to the farming
nature of the economy. Water scarcity is the lack of enough available water resources to meet the
demands of water usage within a region. Water scarcity involves water stress, water shortage or
deficits, and water crisis.

Introduction:

Asia, situated primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres, is the worlds largest and most
populated continent and water is a serious constraint in Asia, China. An arid country, Pakistan has in
most areas of agriculture a monsoon climate, depends profoundly on annual glacier melts and
monsoon rains and there might be plentiful rainfall during the wet season and then a very extended
dry season where crop production depends very heavily on irrigation water. Pakistan Water
Partnership (PWP) states that in Pakistan the total available surface water is about 153 million acre
feet (MAF) and the total ground water reserves are roughly 24 MAF, of which a substantial part has
been excavated without allowing for natural restore. Over-pumping of groundwater for agriculture,
industry or domestic use comes at a sharp ecological price. It disrupts the natural hydrologic cycle
causes rivers and wetlands to dry up, the ground to flop and fish and wildlife and trees to die.

More than two billion people worldwide live in regions facing water scarcity and in Pakistan this is a
principally acute crisis. Pakistan is now a water scarce country at 1200 m3 per capita per year. Based
on current projections, water availability (per capita) will be 855m3 by the year 2020. The increasing
pressures of population and industrialization have already placed greater demands on water, with an
ever growing number and intensity of local and regional conflicts over its availability and use. Water
and agricultural sectors are probably to be the most sensitive to climate change. Fresh water
availability is likely to be highly susceptible to the expected climate change. While the frequency and
severity of floods would ultimately increase in river deltas. The arid and semi-arid regions could
experience severe water stress. According to an estimate today 1.2 billion people lack safe drinking
water and 2.4 billion lack access to basic sanitation and the situation is simply getting worse.

Water resources of Pakistan:

The water resources of Pakistan include surface water, rainfall, and groundwater. The extent of
availability of these resources is location specific.

1. Surface Water Resources

Surface water resources of Pakistan are chiefly based on the flows of the Indus River and its
tributaries. Five major tributaries assembling its eastern side are Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and
Sutlej. A number of small tributaries also link the Indus towards its western side. The Indus River
alone delivers 65% of total river flows, while the part of Jhelum and Chenab is 17 and 19 %
respectively. After the Indus Basin Treaty between India and Pakistan (1960), the availability of
water to Pakistan is restricted to the three western rivers, namely Indus, Jhelum and Chenab, while
India is permitted to divert flows of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. During the current century, the Indus
Basin has developed the largest contiguous irrigation-system in the world. The system comprises of
Indus River and its main tributaries, 3 major reservoirs (Tarbela, Mangla and Chashma), 19
barrages/headworks, 12 link canals, 45 canal commands and some 99,000 watercourses.

2. Rainfall:

About 70 per cent of the annual rainfall occurs in the months of June to September. The mean annual
rainfall distribution in Pakistan has a broad regional variation. Rainfall is neither sufficient nor
regular. The intensity of rainfall and the volume of down pour are much more than can be utilized
readily. A large part of the rainfall, therefore, either floods the riverine areas cause far-reaching
miseries and damages or flows into the sea without any economic benefit to the country. In the Sindh
plains, high-intensity rainfall occurs, southern Punjab and northern Sindh are the areas of very low
yearly rainfall less than 152 mm, districts of Jhelum, Rawalpindi, Attock and Mianwali, receive high
rainfall, above the average of 635 mm per year. The winter rains are usually pervasive. Northern and
northwestern area of NWFP and the northern areas of Baluchistan receive comparatively high order
of rainfall during winter. The present contribution of rain to crops in the irrigated areas is assessed
about 6 MAF.

3. Groundwater Resources:

Most of the groundwater resources of Pakistan exist in the Indus Plain, covering from Himalayan
foothills to Arabian Sea, and are stored in alluvial deposits and is blessed with extensive unconfined
aquifer, which is fast becoming the supplemental source of water for irrigation. The aquifer has been
built due to direct recharge from natural precipitation, river flow, and the continued seepage from the
conveyance-system of canals, distributaries, watercourses and application losses in the irrigated lands
during the last 90 years.
Causes of water scarcity:

We live in an agricultural region and water is crucial for survival, Pakistan is fast moving from being
a water stressed country to a water-scarce country mainly because of its high population growth,
manipulation of ground water, pollution, poor repair in water infrastructure and financially no
sustainability of water management system. Chashma, Mangla, and Tarbela are primarily use for
irrigation purposes and also to provide electricity to a nation of nearly 199 million people. The gross
capacity of these dams has reduced because of sedimentation, a continual process. The Himalayan
glacier, whose ice melt refills the Indus Rivers annual freshwater, is receding by about one meter the
approximate equivalent of 3.3 feet per year due to global warming.

interesting: Lenovo designates i2 Pakistan as Smartphone distributor

The other vital concerns to water scarcity are annual and periodic variability in accessibility to
surface water and influence of global warming, reduction in capacity of storage reservoirs due to
sedimentation, increase in native and industrial demands and resultant reduction in provisions for
irrigation, poor delivery-efficiency in irrigation and municipal water supply systems, and
deterioration of water-quality due to dumping of crude urban sewage and agricultural drainage waste,
reducing groundwater tables due to over exploitation, salt-water incursion due to up-welling from
underlying saline aquifer and deteriorating performance of public tube wells, resulting in increased
pumping costs.

Impacts of water shortage in Pakistan:

Water crisis in the country has spread deep concern. The alarming drop in water level has also led to
a serious shortage in hydraulic power and these are genuine apprehensions if the condition lingers on
for some time more, the energy crisis would excavate as soon as the water level goes further down in
Mangla and Tarbela.

Water shortage has severely affected the agricultural sector of Pakistan which heavily depends on
agro based economy. The farming lands of the Punjab and Sindh, mostly depend on canal water
irrigation as in some areas underground water is salty. Present water crisis, if continued, would lessen
the production of rice, wheat and sugarcane etc. The scarcity is threatening to create famine like
situation across Pakistan. No doubt all the barrages, dams and canals played a crucial role in the
agricultural sector, but at the same time it has showed itself a severe hazard for the soil, causing
water logging and salinity due to natural percolation of water from the canal banks.

The direct bearings of water crises in Pakistan have decreased crops, range land, forest productivity
and water level. Instead, it has augmented livestock, wildlife and human beings death rates and
spoiled the wildlife and fish habitats.

There are also some social impacts of water crisis in Pakistan, which have primarily involved public
safety, health problems, and clashes between the provinces over water usage. It has also reduced the
quality of life. Unsafe drinking water is responsible for several diseases including cholera, malaria,
dysentery, diarrhea, typhoid and gastroenteritis.

Environmental fatalities in Pakistan are the result of damages to plant and animal species, wildlife,
degradation of landscape quality, the loss of biodiversity, air and water quality and the social
destruction, caused by the drought. It may increase pressure on the societal structure of the country
which may increase poverty, social conflict and culture.
 Water Crisis on Global level

Effects on Women & Children

A typical woman or child will walk an average 6 kilometers each day to fetch contaminated
water which she knows will eventually kill 25% of her family. No parent should ever have to
endure such an ill-fated scenario. During a random 20-year period of time, due to the enslaving
task of fetching water, a woman is likely to:

 endure multiple bouts of malaria

 drop out of school
 become a child mother herself
 be beaten, injured, and/or raped
 suffer animal bites and countless infections

Health
In many developing countries, people are forced to drink low quality water from
flowing streams, many of which are contaminated. There are many water-borne
diseases that
people die off.

Less water also means sewage does not flow, and mosquitoes are other insects
breed on still (stagnant) dirty water. The result is deadly malaria and other infections.
Lack of water or quality water causes huge sanitation issues. Clinics, local
restaurants, public places of convenience and many other places are forced to use very
little water for cleaning. This compromises the health of the staff and people who use
the facilities.

Hunger
It takes a lot of water to grow food and care for animals. Experts say that globally we
use 70% of our water sources for agriculture and irrigation and only 10% on domestic
uses.
Less water means farming and other crops that need water to grow have lower yield. It
means farm animals will die and others will not do well without water. The result is
constant hunger and thirst and low quality of life. CLICK HERE FOR THE LESSON ON
HUNGER

Education
It is a bit hard to see how water and education is related. For many people in other
parts of the world children (and teen girls) have to be up at dawn to collect water for
the family. They have to walk for several miles to get water. The children get tired and
some have to miss school as a result. Doing this for many years take away school times
and the cycle continues. In other places, girls and women are not allowed to go to
school at all so that they can serve the family by getting water and taking care of other
family needs.
Poverty
Access to quality water is key to economic prosperity and better living standards.
Businesses and schools thrive when people come to work on time and not have to
spend all morning looking for water. Restaurants, hotels and shopping places need to
keep clean to attract tourists and foreign investments. Manufacturing activities,
commercial farms, and mining processes all need a lot of water to thrive. Lack of water
means no economic activities will happen and the people will be in constant
poverty. (Click here to see the lesson on Poverty)

Increased Global Conflict

Freshwater resources are often shared by two or more countries which may lead to
more international conflicts as freshwater becomes more scarce. The United Nations
has identified 276 transboundry river basins and 200 transboundry aquifers. While
treaties have outpaced acute disputes over the past 50 years (150 verses 37), the US
director of national intelligence warned in a 2012 report that overuse of water could
potentially threaten US national security.

Lack of Access to Clean Water

Currently 1.1 billion people in the world lack access to clean freshwater. Without access
to clean freshwater, these vulnerable populations are exposed to deadly water-borne
illnesses and water gathering can limit educational and economic opportunities. As the
global population grows and water resources shrink, greater numbers will face the
challenges of inadequate water accessibility.

Food Shortages
With a global population on pace to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, shrinking water resources
will make it difficult for food production to keep up with rising demand. The United
Nations warns that political turmoil, social unrest, civil war and terrorism could result
from food shortages unless food production is increased by 60% by 2050. Agriculture
already accounts for about 70% of global freshwater withdrawals to keep up with current
food demand. Increased farm water conservation through water saving irrigation
techniques are needed to slow the unsustainable withdrawals from groundwater
sources.

Energy Shortages
World energy requirements are rapidly increasing with modernization and population
growth, however energy production is one of the world’s greatest consumers of
freshwater resources. In the United States, thermoelectric power plants accounted
for 38% of freshwater withdrawals in 2010. Global electricity demand is projected to
grow 70% by the year 2035 with India and China accounting for half of the growth.
Alternative energy sources like wind and solar energy require far less water to produce
but only make up a small fraction of today’s energy production.
Economic Slowdown
The United Nations estimates that half of the world’s population will live in areas of high
water stress by the year 2030. It is difficult to have a thriving economy when fresh water
is not easily accessible for industrial, farming, and individual use. Production of water-
intensive goods like cars, food, and clothing could be limited by lack of freshwater
resources. Lack of freshwater can also affect worker productivity by causing illnesses
and higher water costs for individuals can reduce household disposable income.