The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with the Government of Punjab, opened the 2021 Pakistan Water Conference today to highlight the challenges facing the water sector in Pakistan and the importance of governance for increasing water productivity.
The United States and Pakistan have a long history of partnering on water issues. Joint investments in water infrastructure and management are generating new jobs, increasing farmers’ incomes, improving health and sanitation, and contributing to economic growth on both a national and provincial level.
“Today’s conference is a major step toward achieving a better balance between water supply and demand. Improving water governance is a prerequisite for achieving better water productivity,” said USAID Mission Director Julie Koenen. “Better water productivity means service delivery to households, farms, and industry can be improved without damaging surface and underground water systems, as well as the broader environment.”
Policymakers, federal and provincial government representatives, water experts, including from USAID, other development partners, academics, and private sector stakeholders attended the conference.
Pakistan is among those countries, where reports about the increasing level of pollutants in water that flows in canals and rivers, contaminates ground and surface water, even finding its way into pipelines that supply water to homes for domestic use.
Recently, the Water and Environment Commission sealed 15 sugar mills in Punjab for their criminal negligence in polluting water in the province. These mills have been reluctant in installing and maintaining wastewater treatment plants at their sites. Investigations against these mills were going on for long and the commission had asked the mill owners to appear in person, but they were unable to satisfy the commission.
