Themes
Sub-national water cooperation
Water partnership within Pakistan has been rendered difficult by a number of factors. Water sharing is a difficult exercise; questions of turns in access to water and water theft (including degradation of infrastructure in view of theft by users) commonly increase tensions. In addition to those distribution issues, Pakistan has seen ecological degradation becoming a source of increased tension; saline affluent, run-off chemicals and depleted groundwater resources are threatening the livelihood and providing the basis for renewed conflicts.
Sub-national water cooperation is a field of constant innovation, where strategy renewal, creativity and flexibility are essential. South Asia has extensive experience in attempting to resolve water conflicts and foster partnerships within national borders. The conference will attempt to harvest up-to-date research and success stories in that field, as well as describe lesson learnt. This knowledge will enable trust to be built within and between provinces, in turn facilitating cooperation at the cross-boundary level.
Governing Scarcity
Water crisis and scarcity in Pakistan is both linked to human and environmental phenomenon. Population gross and climate change impacts intervene as Pakistan remains highly dependent on agriculture, both for food and economic development. Agriculture represents 25 percent of the country’s GDP and irrigated land supplies more than 90 percent of agricultural production. Besides this first major dependence on water harvesting, Pakistan is scoring very low on water sanitation and experiences massive energy shortages when hydro-electric power potential hasn’t been fully exploited. In addition, Pakistan is prone to water-related disasters and scarcity and uncertainty is increasing with the years.
As other countries, Pakistan is constantly reacting to scarcity rather than solving the water-stress issues. Above mentioned issues are reinforced by non-adapted governance and management responses. Policies are sometimes described as conflicting or non-existent, institutional structures unclear and daily management inefficient. This international water conference should aim at identifying the most urgent threats as well as anticipate future problems. It will approach those challenges in a holistic and problem-solving manner; it will aim at collect recommendation and anticipate optimum governance.
Trans-boundary cooperation
Pakistan has a world-renowned history of trans-boundary water cooperation. The Indus Treaty has been thought by many as an example of resilient treaty, while others are quick to point at its shortfalls. For a decade, different groups of politicians, technical experts and non-governmental organizations have arranged meetings and consultations to attempt fostering cooperation around the Kabul river basin.
As third parties are showing sign of interest in the process again, the conference intends to build on past conversations to draft a possible structure for cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. As the international situation evolves it is essential to start preparing for integrated water governance, keeping in mind the challenges emerging from the necessity of water partnership and increasing scarcity.
