27.

Water Resources
27.1.

Introduction

Water is essential for sustenance of life in all forms and fresh water is a finite resource,
progressively becoming more scarce due to persistent increases in its competing demands. It
is important to ensure water security for the people through a national water policy laying
down the outlines of an integrated water management strategy that aims at maximizing the
sustainable economic, social and environmental returns on the water resource development,
allocation among its competing demands, its use by consumers and safe disposal of post-use
effluents.
Pakistan possesses the worlds largest contiguous irrigation system commonly called
as Indus Basin Irrigation system. It commands an area of about 14.3 million hectares (35
million acres) and encompasses the Indus River and its major tributaries. The system
includes
three
large
reservoirs
(Tarbela,
Mangla
and
Chashma),
23
barrages/headworks/siphons, 12 inter-river links and 45 canal commands extending for
about 60,800 km to serve over 140,000 farmer operated watercourses.
Irrigated agriculture is the backbone of the national economy. The level of
agricultural production is directly related to the availability and effective use of water as a
major input. The demand for water is increasing rapidly while the opportunities for further
development of water resources or maintaining their use to existing levels are diminishing.
The shortage of water particularly in Rabi season has further aggravated the ongoing water
crisis. The current per capita water availability at 1200 m3/person is low, with Pakistan in
the category of a high water stress country (table 1).
Table 1
Per Capita Water Availability
Year
Population
(Million)
1951
34
2003
146
2010
168
2025
221
Source:-WAPDA reports

Per Capita Water

Availability (M3)
5650
1200
1000
800

The storage capacity, which is one of the key development indicators, at 9 percent
(live storage) of its average annual flow (table 2), is low when compared with 40 percent
world average, 33 percent in India, 347 percent of Nile river basin and 497 percen of
Colorado river basin (table 3).

Table 2
Storage loss of reservoirs
Original Gross
Storage Loss by the
Storage Capacity
Year 2003 (MAF)
(MAF)

Reservoir

Storage Loss by Year

2010 (Projected) (MAF)

Tarbela

11.62 (1974)

3.14 (27%)

3.95 (34%)

Chashma

0.87 (1971)

0.37 (43%)

0.48 (55%)

Mangla

5.88 (1967)

1.18 (20%)

1.60 (27%)

4.69 (26%)

6.03 (33%)

Total
18.37
Source:- WAPDA reports

S.
No.

1.
2.
3.

Table 3
Average annual flow and storage capacity of dams of some major river basins
No. of
Storage
% age
Average
River basin
Catchment Length
Dams
Capacity Storage
(km)
Annual
Area (1000
(MAF)
Flow
sq. km)
(MAF)
141
2,320
12
3
59.62
497
Colorado
Nile
Sutlej Bias
Basin
India(Total)

3,349

6,650

38

132.00

347

---

1,440

32

11.32

35

--745,920

--5,464

750
345

4,636
7

245
68.95

33
20

668

1,950

179

34.00
24.45
9.55
13.64

19

32.00

4.

Yellow River

5.

Columbia

6.

Indus &
other rivers

1,166

2,880

145

3
Canada : 2
USA
:1
3

7.

Yangtze

1,959

5,494

870

----20,000
--8,000
40
8.
World
Source:Medium Term Development Framework for Water sector (Group Report),
World Register of Dams 2003- ICOLD
The cereal production per m3 of irrigation water at 0.13 kg is also low as compared to
0.39 kg in India, 0.82 kg in China, 1.56 kg in USA and 8.22 kg in Canada (table 4).

Table 4

Name
of
country

Canada
USA

Comparative irrigation withdrawals and cereal production

Irrigation Average per
Irrigation
Irrigation
Withdrawal of
capita
irrigation water withdrawal withdrawal withdrawa
cereal
l on GIA
on NIA
on crop
per capita
production
(M)
land (m)
land (m)
(m3)/year
(kg)
192
1,674
0.01
0.74
0.74
785
1,227
0.11
0.94
0.58

Cereal
per m3 of
irrigation
water (kg)
8.72
1.56

China

401

0.51

0.97

0.53

328

0.82

India

569

0.31

1.07

0.74

221

0.39

1,226
162
Pakistan
0.81
0.88
0.13
Source:- Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture in India, IWMI Publication No. 60, year 2003.
The seepage losses in the irrigation system are also very high at 61 percent (table 5).

Location

Table 5
Seepage Losses in Irrigation system
Delivery at Head (MAF)

Main and branch canals

Distributaries & Minors
Watercourses
Fields
Crop use
Total
Source:-WAPDA reports

106
90
83
58
41

Losses
% age
MAF
15
16
8
7
30
25
30
17
--61
65

The total loss of water in the system has been estimated at 65 million acre feet (MAF),
out of which 32 MAF is the loss of water underlain by the saline water areas (table 6), which
is difficult to recoup.
Table 6
Seepage losses in Irrigation System
Total loss of water in the system
Loss of water underlain by fresh water area
Loss of water underlain by saline water areas
Loss in bigger canals underlain by saline water
Loss in distributaries & minors underlain by saline water
Loss in water-courses underlain by saline water
Loss in field underlain by saline water

(MAF)
65.0
33.0
32.0
8.0
3.5
12.5
8.0

Source:- Planning & Development Division estimates

In this context, the challenge will be the formulation and effective implementation of
a comprehensive set of measures for the development and management of water resources.
This would include the development of additional medium and large-size reservoirs,
integrated resource use, the introduction of water efficient techniques, containment of

environmental degradation, institutional strengthening, capacity building and human

resources development.
27.2.

Issues

The key issues facing the water sector are (a) the absence of a holistic, integrated and
sustained approach, (b) sub-optimal use and low productivity of water, (c) inadequate
storage capacity with water escapages to sea, (d) extensive seepage losses in the irrigation
system, (e) inadequate operation & maintenance and poor cost recovery, (f) excessive
groundwater pumpage without groundwater recharge (mining of groundwater), (g) absence
of measures for rainfall harvesting, (h) unsafe disposal of drainage effluent to the sea, (h)
inadequate protection of infrastructure from floods, (i) lack of private sector participation, (j)
deteriorating institutional capacities of key water sector institutions, (k) increased poverty in
backward irrigated areas, and (l) poor linkage among water, agriculture and rural
development projects and related research.
The broad goal of development of water resources sector is to uplift the agro-based
economy on the national level by maximizing crop production, through progressively
increasing surface water supplies and conserving them using the latest technologies available
and protecting land and infrastructure from waterlogging, salinity, floods and soil erosion in an
integrated manner. The goal also includes catering to the increasing demands for drinking
water supplies and for industrial and commercial activities in a cost effective manner.
27.3.

Water Policy

A draft national water policy has been prepared by the Pakistan Engineering Council
with inputs from highly professional experts in water resources from all over the country.
The draft water policy is given in the following paragraphs.
Objectives
The National Water Policy prescribes an Integrated Water Resources Management
Regime that aims at:
i)

Providing adequate and safe drinking water for all;

ii)

Providing food security for all in Pakistan and feed security for livestock;

iii)

Providing hygienic sanitation facilities for urban and rural population;

iv)

Maintaining water quality and protecting water resources by preventing their

pollution;

v)

Treatment and possible reuse of waste water domestic, agricultural and

industrial;

vi)

Restoring and maintaining the health of the environment and ecology;

vii)

Flood management to mitigate floods and minimize flood damages;

viii)

Hydropower development for economic growth;

ix)

Security of benefit streams of the water related infrastructure for sustained

provision of services,

x)

Conservation and optimizing water use efficiency

Guiding Principles
The processes of planning, development and management of water resources shall
have the guiding principles of equity, efficiency, participatory decision making,
sustainability and accountability.
Water Uses and Allocation of Priorities
Water shall have the following recognized sectors laying demand for consumptive
and non-consumptive use of water; and shall have the priorities for: drinking (including
requirement for livestock) and sanitation, irrigation including land reclamation, industry,
hydropower, fisheries, navigation, recreation, water related sports, environmental
sustainability and upgradation, forestry including social forestry and lakes and water
bodies.
Integrated Planning for Development and Use of Water Resources
i)

The principles of integrated and unified River Basin Development shall be adopted.
Water demand shall be estimated for all uses, public and private sectors, within the
basin. The process of holistic approach to planning shall aim at accommodating a fair
and stable economic and social development within an integrated drainage basin
management. Environmental impact assessment studies shall be carried out
concurrently with project feasibility studies for selecting project scope and layout that,
consistent with productivity, economic viability and social acceptability has the
environmental expediency.

ii)

The Guiding Principles mentioned above shall be invariably followed in all processes of
planning and developing of water resource. The accords/agreements on sharing of
water and rights, established by law or custom, shall be scrupulously respected.

iii)

Water resource planning for development shall be done in-coordination with the
policies and projects of other sectors, both public and private and in accordance with
planning and regulatory zones; as well as in accordance with manuals of good practice.

iv)

Water resource plans shall include such conservation measures that would upgrade the
available resource to the category of utilizable resource to the maximum possible extent.
Due importance shall also be given to measures that would enhance efficiency of water
usage.

v)

Delineation shall be promoted of the following zones to ensure that within each zone
the development of water is planned effectively:

Water Resources planning zones in areas where competition for limited

water is high;
Flood Risk Planning and Regulatory Zones in flood prone areas.
Fresh and Saline Groundwater Zones.
Groundwater Management Planning and Regulatory Zones.

Drought prone planning zones to ensure that adequate plans are in place
when and where droughts occur.
Watershed Management Zones in upland areas.
Environmental Management Zones in areas of environmental hazard.
The impacts of climate change on water resources development shall be assessed and
monitored and account for these impacts reflected in the strategies of water resources
planning, development and management.

vi)

Environmental Integrity of Basin

i)

The Environmental integrity of the Basin shall be sustained and upgraded

where possible.

ii)

Re-aforestation, soil conservation and improvement in land use in the

watersheds shall be promoted.

iii)

Environmental flows shall be made available to flow in the rivers to maintain a

sound environment for the conservation of the river, delta and coastal
ecosystem and for the fresh and brackish coastal fisheries.

iv)

A National Wetland Management Plan shall be adopted to ensure that

endangered habitats are registered, monitored and managed according to the
overall needs of wetland species.

v)

The development of water bodies, shall be promoted where possible, for

recreational use, water sports, and for fisheries.

vi)

The salt build up in the irrigated lands is recognized as a

time-bomb.
Appropriate studies shall be undertaken to assess and mitigate its impact.

Irrigated Agriculture
i)

Strategies and Action Plans shall be prepared to ensure food security for the
people of Pakistan, and these shall be vigorously and diligently pursued.

ii)

The concept of More Crop per Drop shall be pursued by, among others, the
following
A national plan to enforce improved irrigation methods and practices;
Extensive research in developing crops with high yields and lower water
consumption and water saving techniques.
The concept of participatory management of irrigation system shall be
promoted, in the shape of Farmers Organizations (FOs) to enable the irrigation
stakeholders to participate effectively in the decision-making processes.

iii)

iv)

Groundwater table shall be so managed that it does not impede crop-growth or

causes land salinity or underground saltwater intrusion.

v)

Private investment shall be promoted in irrigation and drainage sectors.

Drinking Water and Sanitation

i)

Plans and initiatives shall be undertaken aiming at progressively providing

access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities to all urban and rural
population of Pakistan.

ii)

Full financial sustainability shall be aimed at for the Urban Water Supply and
Sanitation Systems. This shall be facilitated by effective reduction in wastages,
theft and reduction of non-revenue water, and 100 percent metering. However,
effective safety nets shall be provided for the poor communities.

iii)

The Rural Water Supply and Sanitation services shall be priced at affordable
rates.

iv)

Under no circumstances, shall the quality of drinking water Urban or Rural

fall below the specified standards. Each agency responsible for delivery of such
services shall prepare Quality Monitoring Plans and shall be responsible for its
rigorous enforcement.

v)

The sources of surface water as well as underground shall be diligently

protected from contamination and always maintained in a healthy state.

vi)

Private sector shall be encouraged, in partnership with public sector to act as

service-provider of the urban water supply.

Industry
i)

Industry is recognized as an important instrument of economic growth and

provider of employment opportunities on large scale. The policy accordingly
classifies Industry as an important user of water, and this provision shall be
facilitated. A study shall be undertaken for enactment of legislation to formally
allow and define the use of water abstraction licenses and water rates for
industrial use.

ii)

Industry shall be required to carry out in house treatment, of their

wastewater before transfer to municipal sewer as per NEQ standards and the
Polluter Pays principle shall be strictly enforced. Existing rules shall be
strengthened for effective monitoring/control of pollution as per
international standards. The standards of effluent disposal shall be very
strictly enforced.

iii)

Industrial expansion shall be promoted on larger industrial estates to simplify

wastewater treatment and monitoring of effluent disposal.

Hydropower
i)

The nations hydropower facilities are recognized as a vital natural resource

and a key component in providing low-cost energy essential for development
of the industrial, agricultural and service sectors.

ii)

The accelerated development of hydropower shall be treated as a high

priority objective. Water projects, with power generation potential, shall be

given preference over those without such a potential. A matter of highest

consideration for ranking of hydro projects shall be the electricity cost from
the source as transmitted to and received at the National Power Grid System.
iii)

Development of low-head hydropower projects on canals will be encouraged

for distribution of Power at local level. Such projects shall be undertaken by
public or private sector or by community based organizations.

iv)

The Government shall encourage Private Power Producers for Hydropower

Development, with appropriate safeguards.

Ground Water
i)

The Indus aquifer, underlying the vast Indus plains, and other aquifers in
valleys, and in the hard rock formation are recognized as important national
resources and deserve protection from pollution and unsustainable abstractions.
Detailed Action Plans shall be prepared, including legal provisions towards this
end.

ii)

Monitoring efforts shall be strengthened to determine sustainable groundwater

potential and prepare groundwater budgets for sub-basins and canal
commands. All measures to check lateral/vertical movement of saline water
interface shall be introduced.

iii)

Various technologies used for undisturbed extraction and skimming of fresh

groundwater layers overlying saline water shall be evaluated and development
of improved techniques initiated.

iv)

The transition of SCARP tubewells in the public sector to the private sector shall
be expedited leaving development of fresh groundwater entirely to the private
sector, as a local resource.

v)

All sources of recharge/discharge and their interaction on groundwater

reservoir shall be evaluated. Groundwater recharge shall be promoted wherever
technically and economically feasible. Abstractions from the aquifer shall be
restricted to the sustainable level that balances the recharge and boundary
flows.

vi)

The Provinces shall be encouraged to prepare a Groundwater Atlas for each

canal command and sub-basin delineating: groundwater development
potential, water quality zones, water table depth zones, and recommendations
for installation of different types of tubewells.

Water Rights/Obligations
i)

All citizens of Pakistan have the right of equal access to clean drinking water
and appropriate sanitation facilities.

ii)

The water rights as specified in law and agreements shall be fully respected.

iii)

All users of water, public or private, shall have the right to receive water of
specified quality at their premises of use; and they shall concurrently have the
obligation not to degrade quality of water more than what is acceptable.

Stakeholders Participation
i)

An enabling environment shall be created for active stakeholders consultation

and participation at all levels and in all aspects of the water resources including
irrigation, drainage, domestic water supply, flood protection, drought
mitigation, waste water treatment and pollution control.

ii)

Initial focus shall be placed on water users involvement in water distribution to

ensure that water reaches all members as per their due share, periodic
maintenance, assessment and collection of water charges, monitoring water and
soil quality, controlling pollution and wastages and resolution of local disputes
among members.

iii)

Participatory programmes shall be effectively coordinated with policies and

programmes of all other public and private bodies to encourage partnership
and to avoid conflicts.

iv)

A strategy shall be developed to engage private sector participation in all

aspects of the water sector.

v)

Such management practices shall be promoted that enable community

participation in the performance, operation and ownership of water assets.

Sustainable Water Infrastructure

i)

The water-related infrastructure must have physical and functional

sustainability, for its design life and this requirement shall supercede all other
expediencies towards this goal, it shall be provided that the applicable
professional standards have been followed in the field investigations, desk
studies, designs, construction specifications and product quality, operational
procedures and maintenance provisions.

ii)

This infrastructure shall be so engineered, constructed and operated that each

component thereof serves its designed purpose without undue wastage of
water.

iii)

Each agency in-charge of infra-structure shall carry out periodic inspections of

works under its charge and for this purpose prepare and update inspection
manuals specifying, the periodic interval of each inspection, inspection
procedures for each type of infra-structure and reporting authorities responsible
for due remedial actions.

Water-related Hazards
The policy for water-related hazards is described below:
i)

ii)

Flood Management

Flood zoning shall be established and appropriate land use enforced by

avoiding growth of vulnerable developments in flood-hazard areas. Where
feasible, land use shall be adjusted to ensure compatibility with the
frequency and duration of flooding.

The Flood Manual shall be updated on a periodic basis making use of

experience of successes and failures so that the Flood Management Plan is
continuously improved.

Reservoir operational rules shall be reviewed and optimized to ensure

efficient and prudent decisions to control floods provided, however, that the
safety of the dam, embankments, spillways, dam abutments, foundations
and all other hydraulic structures is under no condition placed at risk.

Effective use shall be made of non-structural measures like flood forecasting

and early warning systems to minimize flood losses through better forecasts
and warning.

The construction of additional flood protection facilities shall continue

where needed, concurrently with development of other measures specified
here. Greater emphasis shall be laid on proper maintenance of the existing
infrastructure.

The design and maintenance standards of existing flood protection

structures, shall be reviewed and changes made where necessary to bring
them to the level of functional capability and reliability.

Drought Management

Meteorological and other Departments / Agencies shall be encouraged and

supported in carrying out research work in reliably predicting droughts (in
terms of several months or even a year ahead) so that feasible countermeasures can be timely taken through modified releases from reservoirs and
plan other water management strategies. Research shall aim at developing
appropriate mathematical models.

Provinces shall be encouraged and supported to prepare Drought

Management Plans for different drought prone areas.

It is recognized that small surface water carryover storages do not provide

effective relief, against drought, because of high evaporation losses of
surface water bodies. It is, therefore, necessary to investigate the feasibility
of using groundwater aquifers as water storage facilities.

In drought prone areas, non-water related economic activities shall be

promoted, and the available groundwater resource used for domestic water,

for livestock and social forestry. In such areas aquifer recharge facilities shall
be promoted.

iii)

Water Logging and Salinity

The incidence of water logging and salinity continues to persist despite huge
investments in this sector. A new approach that tackles the problem in a
holistic manner on a basin-wide level shall be followed for future
infrastructure development.

The entire country shall be divided into distinct Drainage Basins and
Sub
Basins. Inventory of all existing infrastructure shall be prepared to
determine the need for additional measures.

No project shall be undertaken in saline ground water areas, unless safe

disposal of effluent is possible.

A National Surface Drainage System shall be developed through an

agreement between the provinces for handling of saline and toxic effluents.

As far as possible drainage effluent will be used at local level so as to

minimize the need for disposal.

Plans will also be initiated to harvest rainwater within agricultural fields

and within drainage catchments so as to flush the soil profile of salts and to
avoid over charging of surface drains.

Quality Management
i)

The water quality in rivers, reservoirs, lakes, canals, water bodies and coastal
areas including groundwater shall be a national priority for progressive
improvement to acceptable standards of NEQS through improved agricultural
drainage, municipal, rural and industrial wastewater treatment and safe
effluent disposal. Full compliance with NEQS for drinking water shall be
implemented vigorously.

ii)

In the plans for water resources development, such measures shall be promoted
beyond acceptable limits that eliminate contamination of surface water bodies
and groundwater aquifers from industrial and domestic emissions of pollutants,
over-use of agro-chemicals and urban run-off. Full compliance with NEQS for
wastewater disposal shall be implemented vigorously.

iii)

Detailed Action Plans shall be prepared by concerned agencies to ensure

compliance, supported by credible evidence of regulatory capacity, institutional
strengths, and financial resources.

iv)

A study shall be initiated to establish and implement a National Water Quality

Monitoring Programme which will:

Establish water quality standards for water for different uses and for surface

and groundwater.

v)

Develop standards and regulations for effluent disposal.

Develop a comprehensive programme of water quality monitoring.

Support development of an Information Management System for data

storage and assessment.

The responsibility of polluter, public or private, shall be enforced through of

existing regulations for protection of public health and environment.

Information Management
i)

The national information base shall be improved by developing a national

planning database, which will:

Support an integrated information system in order to enable the planning

and development of water and other related resources on a sustainable
base.
Consolidate information and data from all monitoring and research
agencies and make it freely accessible to public.

ii)

The quality of data shall be improved through strengthening of monitoring

organizations as well as the management of data and information at the
national level by restructuring and strengthening existing agencies, where
appropriate, so as to facilitate systematic data collection, processing,
archiving and retrieval.

iii)

A policy of data sharing within and amongst all water-related organizations

shall be encouraged, and dissemination through Information Technology (IT)
shall be promoted.

iv)

The telemetry system at all diversion points from the rivers and reservoirs
shall be refined, updated, uniformly calibrated and managed to make
available real-time data to IRSA, WAPDA, Provincial Governments and
major users.

Research
i)

A national agenda for research in water and water-related issues shall be

prepared and periodically updated which shall become a blueprint for a
national endeavour.

ii)

National research capacity shall receive a high priority in resource allocation,

human and financial and shall cover public and private sector research
organizations, and universities.

iii)

Feasibility shall be conducted for creation of national research organization

responsible for overseeing the national agenda.

Water And Drainage Accords

i)

The water available in the national waterways, and Pakistans share in the
international rivers system, shall be shared by the Federating Units
(Provinces) in accordance with the agreements between the Provinces, and
ratified by the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

ii)

The disposal of surface run-off and the drainage effluent and other post-use
effluents through the Indus Basin and other inter provincial basins, shall be
on the alignment, and of the capacity that shall be agreed (Drainage Accord)
between the provinces and ratified by the CCI.

Economic and Financial Sustainability

i)

The delivery services of water for all its uses shall be made economically and
financially sustainable and the social economic value of water shall be
emphasized.

ii)

Water at the delivery point shall be realistically priced according to a general

principle that :

For production sectors of the economy, full cost recovery shall be effected;
For social uses, the concept of affordability shall be applied;
For environmental and ecological needs, water supply shall be free of cost;
Wherever subsidy becomes inevitable, it shall be carefully estimated and the
source of its financing clearly indicated; further provided that the source
shall be such as to have adequate resources for subsidy financing; further
provided that the extent of subsidy shall be periodically reviewed and
adjusted.

Demand Management
i)

It is recognized that fresh water, being a finite resource, cannot fulfill unlimited
demand of numerous users. Demand Management of various uses shall,
therefore, be accorded high priority.

ii)

Increasing population is recognized as the dominant factor in multidimensional increased water demand. Appropriate Action Plans shall be
formulated by the concerned agencies to manage these increases.

iii)

Demand Management Plans shall be prepared for all uses, specifying

measurable targets, and shall be rigidly enforced.

iv)

Use efficiency in all sectors shall be vigorously pursued, and towards this end
all
avenues like professional, administrative, legal, technological-research,
transfer and application coupled with appropriate economic and financial
incentives shall be applied.

Conservation of Water
i)

The criticality of fresh-water for sustenance of human life, coupled with scarcity
dictates the resource conservation to be accorded the highest national priority.

ii)

In the choice of conservation technology diligent care shall be exercised to select

the technology that; has a proven record of performance, is the least cost option,
has the potential to generate multi-benefits and is environment friendly.

iii)

It is recognized that very large annual and seasonal variability of fresh-water

availability makes it necessary to; build large dams for system augmentation,
build small and medium dams for local and regional use, check dams, delay
action dams for recharge of aquifers, recharge the underground aquifers during
floods and affluent water flow periods for later use.

iv)

The water conservation plans shall include re-use and recycling of municipal
and industrial waste water effluent after appropriate treatment at sources,
research in and adoption of technology to upgrade the agricultural drainage
effluent for sustainable re-use in agriculture, horticulture and forestry sector,
adoption of rainwater harvesting technology.

Institutions
i)

It is considered to be of paramount importance that an effective and responsive

institutional structure is made available for implementation of the provisions of
this Policy that supports linkages between practice, science, policy and decision
making so as to facilitate at various levels choices of sustainable solutions for
water resources planning, development and management.

ii)

It is recognized that an effective institution is the one that has a clear mandate, a
legal framework, a well-structured organization with clear responsibilities and
accountability at various levels. Performance capacity commensurate with
mandate and Operational Autonomy. The existing institutions shall be critically
reviewed and the identified deficiencies made up.

iii)

A national institution, named as Pakistan Water Council shall be established

with the Prime Minister as Chairman and Federal Minister Water and Power as
Vice Chairman; its members shall include Federal Ministers of relevant
ministries, Provincial Chief Ministers, Chairman PEC and suitable number of
experts in different water related disciplines. The prime function of Pakistan
Water Council shall be to oversee the implementation of the Policy and issue
directions where appropriate. It shall meet, at least once a year. The Secretary
Ministry of Water and Power shall be the Secretary of the Council.

iv)

It is proposed to create a Pakistan Water Commission for policy formulation

and overview, without its getting involved into the operational aspects like
WAPDA. A working model may be studied in respect of the Indian Water
Commission, which deals with major inter-state policy issues, equity aspects,
balanced regional development and human resources development etc.

Legal Framework

27.4.

i)

All water-related Acts shall be reviewed for updating where found appropriate,
they shall be combined with one another to constitute small number of more
comprehensive and updated Acts.

ii)

The appropriateness and need of each water-related institution to have a

supporting legal cover shall be examined; where found necessary for
institutional effectiveness, such a supporting legal cover shall be provided.

Programme

An extensive programme for development of water resources in the sub-sectors of

irrigation, drainage and reclamation, on-farm water management, flood control and research
has been prepared. The details of the programme are outlined under various sub-sectors in
the following paragraphs. In summary, following an integrated and holistic approach, water
availability will be increased by 14.67 MAF through conservation and augmentation means,
3.2 MA additional area will be brought under irrigation, pilot projects will be started to reuse drainage effluent after treatment, 3.0 MA of disastrous area will be reclaimed under
drainage and reclamation programme, the remaining 68,500 watercourses will be improved
and 0.21 MA land will be precisely leveled under National On-farm Water Management
Programme, and 453 km embankments,150 spurs, 40 hill torrent structures and 3 weather
radars will be completed under Flood Control Programme. Detailed year-wise physical
targets are at Annex II, while the updated water availability estimates at farmgate are at
Annex III.
27.5.

Irrigation

To meet the shortfall up to 2009 - 10 estimated on the basis of population increase

and crop water requirements, the additional irrigation water requirement at farmgate has
been estimated at 12.61 MAF, which is 31.93 MAF at canal head (Pakistan Water Sector
Strategy 2002). Most of the urban water is supplied from groundwater except for cities of
Karachi, Hyderabad and part of the supply to Islamabad, which mainly uses surface water.
Most of the rural water supply is from groundwater except in saline groundwater areas
where irrigation canals are the main source of domestic water. The total existing water use
for domestic and municipal purposes both urban and rural, is estimated to be 4.5 MAF. The
estimated requirements for water supply, rural potable and sanitation are 7.7 MAF. The
shortfall up to 2009-10 has been estimated at 3.2 MAF (Pakistan Water Sector Strategy, 2002).
The estimated existing uses of water by all industries and mines are approximately
3.5 MAF. The industrial water requirement is expected to increase from 3.5 MAF at present
to 3.89 MAF by the year 2009-10 indicating the additional requirement of 0.39 MAF
(Pakistan Water Sector Strategy, 2002).
Only a small quantity of water at present is being used for wetland protections,
environmental preservations below Kotri, irrigated forestry and irrigated plantation along
railway lines and roads. Existing uses are estimated about 1.3 MAF. In order to provide proper
water to wetland areas, environmental protection, irrigated forestry along railway lines and
roads, about 1.5 MAF water will be required by the year 2009-10.
The need for certain minimum escapages to the sea below the Kotri barrage, to check
sea intrusion, has been recognized. For this purpose, the Government has authorized carrying

out of studies under the supervision of the office of Chief Engineering Advisor/Chairman
Federal Flood Commission. These studies deal with the seawater intrusion and environmental
concerns of areas below Kotri, as well as environmental concerns of other areas of the
provinces.
The water demand both for irrigation and non-irrigation by the year 2009-10 is
estimated at 168.99 MAF. The current water supply at farmgate is 135.7MAF(including
groundwater), which is expected to increase to 150.3 MAF (including groundwater) by the
year 2009 -10. Thus, without efficiency improvements, there will be a gap of 18.69 MAF of
water by the year 2009 -10 (table 7).
Table 7
Water Demand and Availability
(MAF)
Water Demand
Year 2004
Year 2010
Agricultural at farm gate
143.29
155.90
Non -Agricultural
Urban and Rural
4.50
7.70
Industrial
3.50
3.89
Environmental
1.30
1.50
Total demand at farm gate
152.59
168.99
B.
Water availability at farm gate
135.68
150.30
C.
GAP
16.91
18.69
Source: i) National Water Policy 2004, ii) Pakistan Water Sector Strategy 2002
A.
i.
ii.

With over-exploitation of groundwater in many areas, about 52 MAF of water is

already being used by about 600,000 tubewells. As such, the opportunities to further exploit
the groundwater resources to fill the supply gap are very limited. There are also large
seasonal variations in surface water availability. The live storage of the existing reservoirs
has already decreased by 4.69 MAF and this is expected to decrease further to 6.03 MAF by
the year 2009-10. In addition water infrastructure including canals and barrages, is
deteriorating due to an aging system and the canal supplies have accordingly been declining
gradually. While water availability can be increased in the short run through construction of
small and medium water reservoirs and efficiency improvements, in the longer term, the
construction of large water storages will be imperative, which needs to be fast tracked.
The nine on-going dam/canal projects (Gomal, Raising of Mangla, Mirani, Sabakzai
and Satpara Dams, first phases of Greater Thal, Kachhi and Rainee canals and
modernization of barrages in Punjab) would be completed during the Medium Term
Development Frame Work (MTDF). In addition, revamping/rehabilitation of irrigation
system of Sindh & Punjab, extension and rehabilitation of Pat Feeder and Khirther canals
and construction of 43 minors in Balochistan will also be undertaken. An amount of about
Rs. 167 billion (nearly 66% of the total water sectors allocation) has been proposed for
irrigation projects. It is expected that after completion of these irrigation projects and
improvement of watercourses the overall water availability will increase by 14.67MAF. An
additional area of 3.2 MA will be brought under irrigation.

27.6.

Drainage and Reclamation

The drainage and reclamation prpgramme, aiming at checking/mitigating the severe

problem of waterlogging and salinity, especially in the areas where the water table lies within
0-5 feet depth to the surface, has been assigned priority. Under on-going and new Salinity
Control and Reclamation Projects (SCARPs), a disastrous area of 1.97 million hectares
inclusive of completed projects (having watertable depth between 0 and 5 feet) would be
reclaimed/restored for agricultural production through rehabilitation and new investments
during the MTDF period. Moreover, surface drains would be constructed in areas faced with
surface runoff resulting from rainfall or excess irrigation (e.g. rice drainage). To encourage
private sector participation in drainage, efforts would continue to transfer SCARP tubewells
from the public to the private sector. Tile drainage will also be given due attention.
The current situation of waterlogged area (table 8), shows that the disastrous area i.e.
depth to water table 5 ft. and below constitutes about 12 percent of the total irrigated area.
About 1.06 million hectares (2.00 million acres) of disastrous area has already been covered
under various SCARPs. During the MTDF, an area of about 3 MA will be reclaimed under
drainage projects such as LBOD, RBOD-I, II and III, Drainage-IV & National Drainage
Programme through installation of 1260 drainage wells, transitioning of 5000 public
tubewells, construction/ rehabilitation of over 2200 kms of open drains, and laying of tile
drainage system in an area of 146,500 ha (362,000 acres). An allocation of Rs. 36.4 billion (14
percent of total water sector allocation) has been proposed to achieve the above-mentioned
targets.

Table 8
Area under various Depths to Water Table
(000 Acres)
Province

Punjab

GCA

24623

%of GCA
NWFP

1450

%of GCA
Sindh

14172

%of GCA
Balochistan

987

%of GCA
Pakistan
%of GCA

41232

Pre-monsoon observation (April / June)

(0 - 5) ft

(5 10) ft

>10 ft

1121.0

4966.0

18534.0

4.5

20.2

75.3

84.0

447.0

919.0

5.8

30.8

63.4

3343.0

7722.0

3107.0

23.6

54.5

21.9

321.0

271.0

395.0

11.8

32.5

55.7

4869.0

13408.0

22955.0

11.8

32.5

55.7

Source: SMO Depth to water table Map of Indus Plains, WAPDA

27.7.

On-Farm Water Management (OFWM)

The OFWM Programme aims at reducing conveyance losses and field losses by
improving watercourses, precision land leveling, organizing Water User Associations and
establishing demonstration plots. In addition, water storage tanks will be constructed and
lifting devices installed on streams to provide irrigation water to barani agricultural land.
Province-wise summary of key watercourse data is given in table 9.
Table 9
Watercourse Data (No.)
S. No.

Description

Number of Watercourses
Total

To be improved

1.

Punjab

58,110

28,000

2.

Sindh

42,314

29,000

3.

Balochistan

19,703

16,463

4.

NWFP

20,500

10,000

5.

Other areas

---

3,537

140,627

87,000

Total
Source: PC-I of OFWM-IV

Watercourse improvement would be accelerated because it is the cheapest available

option to save water or minimize water loss and alleviate poverty. Average unit cost of
water saved per acre-foot from watercourse improvement is around Rs. 12,000. About 68,500
watercourses would be improved during the MTDF, resulting in water saving of about 6.8
MAF. In addition, about 81,600 ha (201,680 acres) of agricultural land will be precisely
leveled. Watercourse improvement would also be vigorously monitored to enhance its
effectiveness.
27.8.

Flood Control/protection

Colossal losses are caused to private properties and public infrastructure by the
recurring onslaught of floods and hill torrents. Province wise existing embankments and spurs
are given in the table 10.
Table 10
Province-wise embankments and spurs
Punjab

Sindh

NWFP

Balochistan

Total

Embankments (Km)

3000

2200

90

150

5440

Spurs (No.)

365

36

176

*---

577

* Not applicable
The Flood Protection Sector Project Phase-I has been completed, and phase-II has
started in addition to Normal Flood Sector Programme meant for emergency schemes. Besides,
an extensive programme of harnessing hill torrents is being prepared to regulate the flash flows
of hill torrents. Further improvements in the flood forecasting and warning system through
installation of three more 10 CM radars, provision of the HF Radio system, and updating of
flood plain manual have also been planned. As part of an integrated flood management

programme, 453 km of embankments, 150 spurs and 40 hill torrents structures are planned to
be constructed in the provinces. An allocation of Rs. 3.60 billion has been proposed for
achieving the above- mentioned targets.
27.9.

Research

The emphasis on research on a countrywide basis will be strengthened during the

MTDF, with contributions from research institutes and other related organizations. Research
activities will include: (a) minimization of drainable surplus; (b) appropriate choice of
irrigation and drainage technologies; (c) effective operation and maintenance of irrigation
canals to help them attain the regime conditions; (d) improvement of drainage facilities and
drainage effluent disposal; (e) on-farm water management, economical methods of lining
and observing losses under different soil conditions; (f) maximization of economic
productivity of water as the major input; (g) sediment control in the watershed of reservoirs;
(h) use of brackish drainage effluent for agriculture and forestry; (i) institutional framework
to improve sustainability of irrigated agriculture; and (j) utilization of international research
in irrigation and drainage. In addition, studies will be completed on water escapages below
Kotri barrage to check seawater intrusion and environmental concerns of provinces. The ongoing study on water management of spate irrigation system in Pakistan for effective
harnessing of hill torrents will also be completed; (k) artificial recharge from rain water
harvesting & economical crop-water productivity per cubic meter through agro climatic
and physio-chemical soil integration will also be undertaken.
27.10. Financial allocations
An allocation of Rs. 276.00 billion has been proposed for the water sector under the
PSDP, including the Federal allocation of Rs. 218 billion and Provincial allocation of Rs.
58.20 billion. The Federal programme will mainly cater to the on-going projects, which have
a throw-forward of Rs. 304 billion. In fact Rs. 80 billion (with phasing of canals projects)
would still be required for completion of on-going projects in the period beyond the MTDF.
However, Rs. 195 billion have been proposed for the ongoing projects and Rs. 23 billion have
been proposed for the new projects in the later years of the MTDF based on priorities
indicated by the provinces for inclusion in the federal programme. Details are at Annex I &
IV. While the ongoing high priority projects will be completed, canal construction projects
will be phased out over a longer period. An important issue in water sector will be shortage
of funds for timely completion of projects and additional financial resources will be
explored, including the private sector and assistance from development partners.
27.11. Risk Analysis
The above-mentioned programme and the targets are based on the following
assumptions;
i)

The water requirement figures are based on the assumption that there will be
at least 25 percent increase in crop yields due to non-water inputs.

ii)

The water availability at the farm gate is calculated on the basis of saving of
water at the rate of 100 AF/watercourse. This needs to be further studied
during the MTDF.

iii)

The implementation of the projects is based on enhanced implementation

capacity to meet the ambitious targets particularly for improvement of
watercourses.

iv)

Based on historical experience, in some cases there will remain uncertainty

about the implementation schedules of water conservation projects linked
with the prevailing law and order situation.

v)

Decisions to implement large water storages will have to be taken early to set
a stage for a major development of water resources.

The assumptions will be periodically reviewed during implementation, targets

updated and close monitoring carried out to avoid any slippages.

Annex I
Financial Allocation (2005-10)
(Rs. Billion)
Sub-sector

Allocation

a) Federal
Irrigation

140.909

Drainage & Reclamation

23.856

Flood Control Programme

6.519

On-farm Water Management Programme

46.781

Research

0.228

Total (Federal)

218.293

b) Provincial
Total (Provincial)

58.200

National (Federal + provincial)

276.493

Annex II
Physical Targets (2005 - 10)
Sr.
No
1.

2.

3.

4.

Item

Unit

200405

Total

Targets
2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2005-10

Water Availability
Incremental

MAF

0.90

2.90

3.57

5.50

1.80

0.90

14.67

Cumulative

MAF

135.68

138.58

142.15

147.65

149.45

150.35

150.35

Disastrous area

Mac

0.60

0.60

0.60

0.60

0.60

0.60

3.0

Mha

0.24

0.24

0.24

0.24

0.24

0.24

1.20

Installation/rehab.

No

220

220

220

220

250

350

1260

Transition

No

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

1000

5000

km

458

500

500

500

543

200

2243

New

km

242

300

300

300

362

350

1612

Sub-surface Drain

Ac

49,420

50,000

60,000

70,000

82,000

100,000

362,000

ha

20,000

20,235

24,282

28,329

33,185

40,469

146,500

Embankment

Km

90

90

90

90

90

93

453

Spurs

No

33

30

30

30

30

30

150

No

16,500

21,500

23,000

24,000

---

68,500

Land Ac

37,060

37,060

37,060

37,060

--36,500

54,000

201,680

21,854

81,619

SCARP Tubewells

Surface Drains
Rehabilitation
/remod.

5.

6.

7.

Flood Control

OFWM
Watercourses
Precision
Leveling

ha

14,998

14,998

14,998

14,998

14,771

MAF = Million Acre Feet, Ac = Acre, km = Kilometer, ha = Hectare

Annex III
Water Availability Estimates At Farm Gate
(MAF)
Year

Total

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

Incremental

0.90

2.90

3.57

5.50

1.80

0.90

14.67

Cumulative

135.68

138.58

142.15

147.45

149.45

150.35

150.35

Surface water

85.66

88.26

91.83

97.33

99.13

99.73

99.73

Groundwater

50.02

50.32

50.32

50.32

50.32

50.62

50.62

2005-10

Basis:
(Water saved through 68,000 watercourses (6.80 MAF) + Gomal Zam (0.9 MAF) +Mirani
Reservoir (0.15 MAF)+Mangla-II (2.9 MAF)+Kurram Tangi Dam (0.6 MAF)+canals (3.03)
+Small Dams (0.3 MAF)+ Other measures (0.49) + Groundwater (0.6 MAF) - siltation(1.10
MAF ) = 14.67 MAF