Water supply Updates

[ghazi52]

Indus diverted​

Lt-Gen Muzammil Hussain (retd)
December 17, 2023

The recent positive development of “Indus Partial Diversion” for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam has prompted this writer to provide an overview of the water sector. This sector holds the key to turning around our current fragile economy and addressing the core issue of food security for our rapidly growing population.

Among the myriad economic and food security challenges facing Pakistan, the insufficiency of both energy and water stands out, with their multi layered impact on food and human security, exacerbated by either scarcity or high costs.

Our future is intricately linked with energy and food security, yet we have fallen short in harnessing our inherent potentials, such as water, sun, wind, and the capabilities of our youth. Globally, water and energy are recognized as fundamental to economic prosperity, and major economies such as the US, China, and India have significantly invested in water storages and renewable energy resources.

Particularly, water remains pivotal to our challenges, and we have not effectively tapped into this vital resource. The Indus River tributaries receive an average of around 145MAF of water annually. The Indus cascade offers ideal locations for storage and hydropower sites, spanning from Shyok through Skardu, Tungus, Yalboo, Bunji, Diamer-Bhasha, Dasu, Pattan, Thakot, Akhori, and up to Kalabagh. Despite this potential, we find ourselves yearning for both quantity and quality.

While Tarbela, developed in the ‘70s with the assistance of the World Bank, remains the backbone of our inexpensive hydropower and a guarantor of food security, the neglect and procrastination in developing mega storages and hydropower projects along the Indus cascade have hindered our progress. Political interference and institutional inefficiencies have plagued initiatives like Diamer-Bhasha and Dasu dams.

WAPDA, once synonymous with excellence, is now taking on the task of commencing work on mega projects such as Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams. Serious bottlenecks in Dasu are being removed, and other projects, including Kurram Tangi, Nai Gaj, Tarbela 5th Extension, and Sindh Barrage are in progress. These projects have the potential to significantly increase water storage and add to our hydropower capacity. Some projects like Kacchi Canal in Balochistan and Neelum Jhelum Hydropower were delayed for years if not decades. The reasons are aplenty. Half-baked feasibilities, prolonged approval processes, poor financial closures, irregular cash flows, and ordinary supervision and management, and above all, the sector falling out of favor with the rulers. RDOB-II (Right Bank Outfall Drain) in Sindh commenced more than two decades ago and has no chance of seeing the light of day anytime soon.

Worse, at great perils for the people of Karachi, K-4 (a drinking water project) is yet another example of how not to do a project in the classical engineering and management sense (more on this later).

Our energy portfolio, with over Rs2.6 trillion of circular debt, has no clear signs of its control with any structural reforms or innovative strategies. It is perhaps the only sector with potential to implode or explode our economic edifice. Our energy mix with heavy reliance on damaging, expensive, and volatile fossil fuel is the key to our current lopsided energy profile.

Currently, WAPDA is contributing around 30% cheap energy to the basket (kudos to the teams lead by Engr Mohammad Zareen and Engr Arfan, who commissioned Neelum Jhelum and T4 in 2018, adding around 7 billion kWh units in 2018). Unless this mix crosses the minimum threshold of 50% anytime sooner, our economic growth will remain shackled by the monster called energy.

However, of utmost importance is the Sindh Barrage project, conceived in 2018 to address water availability, distribution, and combat sea intrusion in the province. Timely completion of this project can usher in a new era of development in the region and contribute to better water management strategies.

The financial aspect of these projects is critical, requiring robust, standalone financial models. WAPDA has successfully structured a portfolio of over $14 billion, incorporating a mix of Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), WAPDA equity, local and foreign commercial financing, and a groundbreaking debut green Euro Bond. This financial ingenuity has garnered international credit ratings from Moody’s, Fitch, and S&P, instilling confidence in the international donors.

While the participation of the private sector is crucial, the long-haul nature of hydropower development and storage construction necessitates a recalibration and reset of our development mechanisms. This should include capacity-building of our human capital and institutions, emphasizing a holistic approach for sustainable progress. It is an achievable task that requires concerted efforts from the government, WAPDA, and other stakeholders.

To sum up, the commissioning of these projects within scheduled timelines is imperative to prevent significant damage to the national economy. Balancing technology, policy, and the private sector involvement can play a pivotal role in ensuring our food security and sustainable development.

 

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Construction work is progressing ahead on Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (K-IV Project). It envisages to provide 650 million gallon per day (MGD) to Karachi from Keenjhar lake. Phase-I of K-IV will supply 260 MGD.

 

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Construction work is continuing on Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (K-IV Project). The project envisages to supply 650 million gallon water per day (MGD) to Karachi from Keenjhar Lake.

WAPDA has been entrusted by the Federal Government to construct Phase-I of the project, which will provide 260 MGD water to Karachi.

Phase-I is scheduled for completion in October 2024.

 

[FuturePAF]

With Pakistan’s birth rate and current developmental status, getting back to basics would be the most cost effective manner to jump start natural growth.

If prioritizing Agricultural modernization is the plan of the powers that be, then focusing on water management is THE essential part of the equation.

Not only is the bad water quality polluting drinking water supplies but gets into the food and makes export prospects limited. The Middle East is large market for fresh food. A revamped rail network and a series of modern high capacity wastewater treatment plants can help fix the polluted water crisis.

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Now this is not just a crisis in Pakistan but in India as well. For Pakistan though, our demographic pyramid is such that if we fix the problem now we can mitigate the effects of our current younger population (150 million out of 250 million) and significantly reduce the effect it will have on our future population (the next 150 million) by 2050. Alongside a major increase in education, we can have a much healthier and educated work force as well a much more robust Agricultural industry.

The political entity that can get this accomplished (not just promised) can really entrench itself in the long term affection of the nation.

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[FuturePAF]

Considering the risk of catastrophic flooding approx. every 10 years, should Pakistan work on building new canals and extending to the old river bed of the Hakra river (on the Pakistani side of course). This could over time help divert some excess nutrients towards the Cholistan desert and potentially make some marginal land fertile.

Akin to what has happened in California, where water sought the lowest place it could go.

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Construction work continues on Nai Gaj Dam Project in Dadu district of Sindh province.
The Dam will store 300,000 acre feet to irrigate 28,800 acres land. Having a Small Hydel Power Station, the Project will also generate 4.2 MW electricity for the locals.

 

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British legacy of canal system in Pakistan after 75 years​

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Whither health & environment?​

Zulfiqar A Bhutta | Zafar Mirza | Maha Qasim | Ali Tauqeer Sheikh | Jai Das
March 22, 2024

THE fact that the health and climate ministries were not included in the first round of cabinet oath-taking, is a sad reflection on the priority given to the well-being of the poor and climate-vulnerable population. It reveals unfortunate policy short-sightedness given the importance of the social determinants of health, climate change, and development. The cost of inaction is too high, something the agreement with the IMF will need to recognise.

Pakistan has not recovered from the devastating floods of 2022, with losses exceeding $30 billion. Over 32 million people were affected, 2.1m houses and more than 2,000 health facilities destroyed, of which only a fraction have been rebuilt. Of the $10bn pledged for rebuilding in January 2023, relatively little has reached the populations in greatest need, underscoring the enormous and long-term impacts of such disasters.

The unseasonal rains and snowfall in the north of the country in the last few weeks have played havoc with farmers and transport systems underscoring the fact that the face of climate change isn’t just extreme heat.

A recent analysis by scholars at the Aga Khan University underscores the importance of the steady increase in surface temperature and reduction in subsoil moisture as critical contributing factors to early childhood wasting and stunting. Some of the impacts of climate change on poor, vulnerable populations, especially pregnant women, are likely considerable, with notable gender inequality.

The worsening human development crisis must be the centrepiece of all state reforms.

Much has happened on this front, with Pakistan leading some of the global efforts to constitute equitable allocation of resources, such as with the Loss and Damage Fund, for low- and middle-income countries. However national and provincial policies around investments for mitigating the effects of climate change and promotion of resilience or adaptation remain nascent. Funds from the National Finance Commission Award remain in the provincial capitals and are not allocated to district levels where they are needed the most.

Development of a framework for action for climate-resilient health systems by the federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination and the constitution of climate-risk screening for development projects at the level of the federal Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives are welcome steps but need to be matched by concrete action and protection of investments.

The health sector is both a contributor to carbon emissions and a victim of climate change, and not just through disasters and impact on services. The current and projected energy crises have huge implications for the functionality of health facilities and outreach services. Decarbonisation would require investments in alternative energy sources and reduction in wastage. Solarisation of the health facilities is an easy and a low-hanging fruit, but investments in climate-resilient health infrastructure and health facilities would require considerable resources. Much can be done in the interim by indigenous solutions and structural modification.

The ambitious plans for reforestation and tree plantation, on hold for a couple of years now, are important building blocks for ecosystem-based approaches to public health and well-being and must be restarted. Like so many of Pakistan’s problems in addressing the challenges, the solutions lie within and need to be based on existing programmes and resources.

Having the most polluted city in the world as a capital, the new Punjab government has rightly declared cleaning the environment and reducing the omnipresent crisis of air quality and smog a priority. This needs to be accompanied by clear, actionable and long-term strategies and financial allocations for implementation.

Apart from the huge economic impact, the environmental determinants of health are a major contributor to long-term ill health and non-communicable diseases, and the cost of inaction is hugely greater than investments for prevention and mitigation.

Other countries have managed to clean seemingly inexorable issues of air quality at scale. The case of Mexico City, with its natural disadvantage of altitude and location, is a case in point. Voted the most polluted city in the world some four decades ago, it has now disappeared from the list of most polluted cities. Improving air quality in Pakistan can have notable health benefits. The World Bank has estimated that the benefits of cleaner fuels on health in Pakistan are easily 50 to 70 per cent greater than every dollar spent.

So, what can the new government do, given that it has a huge opportunity to reset the path to solid development and economic reconstruction? First and foremost, effectively arresting and turning the ongoing and worsening human development crisis must be the centrepiece of all state reforms. Also, focusing on the social sectors as a primary investment and not an afterthought and recognising that sound health, nutrition and environment are fundamental to development and sustainability of economic growth.

The 10-point agenda put forward by the previously mentioned framework for action for climate-resilient health systems provides a robust roadmap. As a precondition though, a paradigm shift is required to promote intersectoral action. The prime minister must establish and lead a broad-based ministerial committee on health and climate change. The committee should appropriate top experts from the water, education, health, climate, and energy sectors. This group should regularly monitor the implementation of the action points of the framework: leadership and governance; health workforce; vulnerability capacity and adaptation assessments; integrated risk monitoring and early warning; health and climate research; climate-resilient sustainable technologies and infrastructures; management of environmental determinants of health; climate-informed health programmes, emergency preparedness and disaster-risk management; and climate and health finance.

Pakistan’s Nationally Determined Contributions commitments include the need to address vector-borne diseases, nutrition, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases due to deteriorating air quality, heatwaves, injuries from extreme weather events, wildfires, and damage to the healthcare infrastructure. These health threats are identified as critical areas requiring priority actions to mitigate the impacts of climate change on public health.

It’s time for the new government to recognise that the Paris Agreement’s emphasis on public health underscores the linkages between climate change and human well-being. It underscores the significance of addressing health concerns within the framework of climate action. Our NDC commitment and downstream action must be the centrepiece of policy and must not await suo motu notices by the Supreme Court.

The writers have jointly authored this article on behalf of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a UN-associated national civil society platform in Pakistan with a focus on health and climate change-related SDGs.

 

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Water flows continue into Indus River to keep Mancchar Lake level at safe limit​

"Overall level of Manchhar lake as far as its embankments are concerned is safe," says Mancchar executive engineer Imtiaz Abro.

 

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Surge Vessels successfully Installs and Erects at K-IV project Pumping Stations.


A major milestones at K-IV Project has been achieved after installation and erection of 18 Surge Vessels at the Pumping Stations specifically designed for the K-IV Project to ensure the stability of the Pipeline System by mitigating pressure surges that may arise during operational changes, such as the starting or stopping of pumps.

The surge vessels play a vital role in safeguarding the integrity of the infrastructure, preventing potential damage to the pipeline, and ensuring the efficient and uninterrupted operation of the pumping stations.