Achi news desk-
“Pakistan’s geographical location makes it imperative to move towards solutions. That will not come unless there is a will to cooperate, at all levels”, said Afia Salam, Climate Change Expert, at the ‘Water: Conflict and Cooperation’ conference organized on World Water Day by Tabadlab held at the Serena Hotel on Friday. The aim of the event was to assess the drivers of water conflicts, identify potential flashpoints, best practices, and local capabilities to mitigate them.
In attendance were experts from the fields of climate change adaptation, water resource management, and water governance.
Speaking at the event, keynote speaker Jo Moir, Director of Development for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office highlighted the need for collaboration between different stakeholders and the right type of investment to get ahead of climate challenges.
He added or she said: “We civil servants have a tendency to admire the problem and study it extensively, but the aim should be to find future-oriented solutions.”
The event was split into two sessions. In the first session, the Tabadlab team presented specific case studies highlighting water conflicts across Pakistan. The second session, moderated by Zeeshan Salahuddin, Director of the Center for Regional and Global Connectivity Tabadlab, was a panel discussion on future water conflict trends and trajectories. The panel discussed the need to have robust and reliable data as a starting point for integrated water resources management; develop consensus around key definitions and common vernacular; building trust between citizens and the state to address water conflicts both communally and individually; and developing scalable solutions, at a community level.
Afia Salam emphasized the need to talk about population in the context of resource management, especially water. Rapid population growth is causing our social fabric to unravel, and it is essential to remember that as the population grows, Pakistan will continue to face a decline in all natural resources. He added that we need to remember the impact that the demands of a growing population have on our ecosystem.
Dr Fazilda Nabeel, Climate Change and Water Governance Specialist, Food and Agricultural Institute, said that we need to talk about water from the perspective of equity and justice. Water is a basic right for every human being, yet there are parts of Pakistan that are much more water stressed than others. It is necessary to ensure that access to water is fair for all citizens in order to mitigate the potential for water conflicts.
Speaking about the need to build consensus around the drivers of water-related conflicts, Basharat Saeed, World Bank Water Resources Specialist, said that we need a robust data system around water with verifiable and reliable data; which should be available to the public. He also highlighted the need to build trust between the state and citizens regarding the provision of basic services. Salam seconded this, saying that cooperation can only be built on reliable data.
As Pakistan seeks to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to the demands of a growing population, collaborative forums such as this conference are key to developing a coherent understanding of critical issues, and how to develop policies to address them. Key insights from the event will be presented to policy makers and decision makers in the coming weeks.
