No end in sight to Karachi’s water crisis | Expert Analysis
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00:00We have with us the water expert, Dr. Hassan Abbas.
00:03Thank you very much, Mr. Hassan Abbas, for taking out time for us.
00:06This is a very important issue that needs to be discussed
00:10because this is not just an issue in Karachi.
00:13In fact, if we talk about Lahore in Punjab,
00:15the water levels have gone down there as well
00:18because we are relying on it very excessively.
00:21You can see the situation in Karachi.
00:23Sadaf was also pointing out very rightly
00:25that salt water comes out in most of the areas
00:28and you can see the depth of that as well, up to 300 feet,
00:31plus its costs, plus the rainfall.
00:34So, how many problems does Karachi face in terms of groundwater?
00:40Thank you, this is a very important topic
00:44that has been brought under discussion today.
00:47The main thing is to understand the existence of groundwater,
00:54to understand it and to manage it.
00:57For that, you need a special kind of science,
01:01you need to have an understanding of it,
01:03which we call hydrogeology.
01:06In Pakistan, unfortunately, all the water transportation agencies,
01:11like the Karachi Water Board, WASA,
01:15then if you come to a higher level,
01:16then you have the Irrigation Department, WABDA.
01:20There are about 40-50 such agencies in Pakistan
01:23that are related to water.
01:25And as far as the expertise of groundwater is concerned,
01:30it is very weak.
01:32None of these agencies have a qualified hydrogeologist
01:37who understands groundwater.
01:39The person who has got two boards, two tube wells installed,
01:42run a pumping station,
01:44we consider him to be an expert in groundwater,
01:47and then he also starts considering himself an expert.
01:51This is a very interesting thing.
01:52And because of that, we follow the advice of an uninformed,
01:55unplanned and novice.
02:00And because of that, we have these problems.
02:02Otherwise, if you look at it,
02:04our groundwater resources are so good and so robust,
02:08which nature has given us,
02:10that despite so much mismanagement,
02:13which has been happening for the past 70 years,
02:15we still have 70% of our groundwater in SR.
02:19In irrigation, in agriculture,
02:21you are running up to 70-60% on groundwater.
02:24Even where your canals are built,
02:2650-60% of the groundwater is being used there.
02:29In your city, you are running up to 100% on groundwater.
02:32But where are your projects happening?
02:34Your project of K4 is a surface water project.
02:38The dams that are being built in your project
02:39are all surface water projects.
02:41Whereas you are running it on groundwater.
02:43So our investment priorities are wrong.
02:45Honestly speaking, we don't have any priorities.
02:48You are saying that dams are being built.
02:50I don't remember any dam being built.
02:52Even K4.
02:53Where is the problem with that?
02:55You said that Bhadshah Dam was to be built in 2008-2014.
02:58Even if it is built,
03:00even if it is built,
03:01your problems will be solved.
03:02You are right.
03:03But the problem is that it is not being built.
03:06Secondly, a while ago,
03:07you were discussing that in Clifton,
03:09they have built a sewage system.
03:12It is very good that the sewage system has been built.
03:14It went into the sea.
03:15Why didn't it go into the groundwater?
03:18Why didn't it go into the groundwater?
03:20The reason is that your expert is mostly a civil engineer.
03:24A civil engineer knows how to build a sewage system.
03:26He is not taught how to manage groundwater.
03:28There is no fault in that.
03:30You need a hydrogeologist
03:32who works with a civil engineer
03:34and tells him how to move the water
03:38so that it gets absorbed in the ground.
03:39The interesting thing is that we don't have a hydrogeologist
03:42to tell you this.
03:44So we have to train our people
03:46to understand the groundwater.
03:49The interesting point is that the water gets absorbed in the ground.
03:51Doctor, I was saying that
03:53when it used to rain in the villages,
03:55it was said that
03:57if it rains continuously,
03:59the ground absorbs it.
04:01The water sources get replenished.
04:03What is the solution here?
04:05Is this the only factor
04:07that the rainfall is decreasing?
04:09Is this also a reason?
04:11No.
04:13This is a science
04:15called water-sensitive urban design.
04:17Basically,
04:19you manage the whole city
04:21and the landscape
04:23in such a way that
04:25the stormwater runoff
04:27that starts flowing
04:29from the roofs of houses
04:31to the drains
04:33is taken directly
04:35to the aquifers.
04:37As far as
04:39the urban landscape is concerned,
04:41where there is a lot of concrete
04:43and asphalt,
04:45the opportunity is greater
04:47because the water
04:49is immediately available to you
04:51and about 100% of the rain
04:53is converted into runoff.
04:55If you direct this runoff
04:57in a very planned way,
04:59in a very meticulous and detailed
05:01study,
05:03and plan it with experts,
05:05then this water,
05:07which is now a problem in Karachi,
05:09will go to your aquifers
05:11and you will start getting
05:13sweet water.
05:15What you were saying a while ago
05:17that where there is sweet water
05:19and mostly salty water,
05:21that salty water will end
05:23and all the sweet water will come
05:25on top of it.
05:27I have read it,
05:29but I don't remember now,
05:31but it is being worked on
05:33in many countries.
05:35Can you give us an example
05:37of how it is being utilized
05:39so that it is easy for us to understand?
05:41If you simply google
05:43water sensitive urban design
05:45and you search on Australia,
05:47you go to any city council
05:49website of Australia,
05:51they have given a whole chapter
05:53on water sensitive urban design.
05:55In any suburb,
05:57if you want to build a house,
05:59a society or a shopping center,
06:01how do you manage the water
06:03and how do you absorb storm water
06:05in the middle of the land?
06:07If we explain it to a common man,
06:09they dig 30-40 feet deep
06:11holes in the ground
06:13and after that they build
06:15a drainage system
06:17so that the water goes inside the land.
06:19Is it done in the same way?
06:21Yes, for example,
06:23the development that you are doing,
06:25the new suburbs and societies
06:27that are being built,
06:29in their approval process,
06:31I am talking about Australia,
06:33you have to show the council
06:35I am demonstrating in my design
06:37that how my storm water
06:39will be absorbed in the ground
06:41or how it will improve a river
06:43or a lake
06:45and provide water in it.
06:47The storm water that I will
06:49collect in my area,
06:51how I will direct it for the
06:53groundwater and for the benefit
06:55of nature.
06:57Its plan is approved.
06:59Doctor, I was saying one thing
07:01but at the same time,
07:03water is a community
07:05that you cannot produce
07:07but you can preserve.
07:09In terms of dams,
07:11in Pakistan,
07:13the irrigation system
07:15is very old.
07:17The new methods are used
07:19and there is a lot of water wastage.
07:21Secondly,
07:23due to the absence of dams,
07:25our old dams, Mangla and Tarbela,
07:27due to siltation,
07:29life is also decreasing.
07:31If a dam is built,
07:33it will not only provide water storage
07:35but it will also provide
07:37navigation and electricity.
07:39These things are important as well
07:41along with what you mentioned.
07:43Because 132 million acres of water
07:45is a waste.
07:47No, no, it is not a waste.
07:49It is not necessary for our delta.
07:51No, no, no.
07:53Let me tell you.
07:55It is not like that.
07:57Your aquifers,
07:59your aquifers
08:01store 500 million acre feet
08:03of water.
08:05500 million acre feet.
08:07And your dam does 5 and 6.
08:09It is a very big dam.
08:11It will do 6.
08:13In Tarbela, it is 6.
08:15In ground water, it is 500.
08:17Where should your investment
08:19priority be?
08:21If you make a dam
08:23worth 14 to 30 billion dollars
08:25and save 5 million acre feet of water,
08:27you can manage
08:29500 million acre feet of water
08:31at a 10 times lower cost.
08:33Your investment priorities are wrong.
08:35You are being given wrong advice.
08:37The problem is that people
08:39give wrong advice and
08:41make wrong investments.
08:43If you remember, in 2017,
08:45there was a show that
08:47water will run out by 2025.
08:49Now 5 months are left
08:51to 2025.
08:53Water is not being managed.
08:55Your investment priorities are wrong.