The writer is a freelance journalist based in Karachi.
IN school we were repeatedly told that two-thirds of the earth’s surface was water. The geography teacher would draw the globe, mark the continents and then colour the rest of the circle blue denoting water. Next we were told about glaciers that store huge amounts of freshwater. But nobody taught us that, invisible to us, there was even more water groundwater crammed between rock and sediment in the form of massive aquifers hundreds of feet below.
Even water managers and hydrologists who talk about harnessing and diverting surface water through building large and small infrastructure projects have failed to deliberate on the virtues, and therefore protection, of groundwater. In fact, experts acknowledge their understanding of groundwater, as compared to surface water systems, is limited.
Addressing water shortage during pandemic stressed
Islamabad
December 18, 2020
Islamabad : Speakers stressed the need to address water shortage during the pandemic when handwashing has become a necessity.
They were speaking at a virtual panel discussion organised by WaterAid Pakistan in collaboration with Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) under the 23rd Sustainable Development Conference (SDC).
The discussion was titled ‘Access to Water and Sanitation in post-COVID-19 Pakistan’. The discussion was chaired by Kanwal Shauzab, Parliamentary Secretary Planning, Development and Reform and had panellists from World Bank, WaterAid Pakistan, SDPI and Salman Sufi Foundation.
Speaking as chair of the session, Kanwal Shauzab highlighted the worsening state of water and sanitation in urban and rural areas across Pakistan. “In terms of WASH, one of the main factors that pose a huge threat to our communities is the contaminated water which is the root cause of water-bor