ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

Water Quality

Safe water will be available for consumption by all households, the quality of streams and rivers will be restored and the risk of contamination of water will be minimized by appropriate action. There will be amendment in the Water Act to incorporate the requirements for safe drinking water. The National Planning Action for Drinking Water Quality with National Drinking Water Quality Standards and Surveillance and Monitoring System will be fully in force. The formulation and enforcement of NEQS will be undertaken in a participatory, process. Trained institutional capacity for monitoring water quality on an on-going basis with capacity for enforcement. NGOs and other civil society organizations will paly an important role for consumers and farmers by raising awareness and monitoring the issues of water quality. 

 

Salt Balance

 

There is about 33 million tons of salt in the Indus River System of which only 8 million is discharged in the sea. The rest is retained in the soil. There will be appropriate investments in strategies that maintain the natural salt balance of the land and water resources. The salt balance in the soils will be such that the natural carrying capacity of the land will not be negatively impacted by excess salts.

 

Sedimentation Disposal

 

Most of the Indus Basin has been formed as a result of alluvial deposits brought by rivers from the mountainous ranges in the north. The Indus River carries 500 million tons of sediments on an annual basis. This silt has to be disposed off somewhere. It erodes the storage capacity of the reservoirs and the cost of removing it is prohibitive. A strategy will have been evolved for the effective disposal and the technical and financial capacity to implement the strategy will be available.

 

Drainage

 

A sustainable drainage policy and strategy will be developed with adequate resources available to invest in drainage and move towards the resolution of the problems of water-logging and salinity in Pakistan. Coordination and linkage between the irrigation and drainage functions will have been accomplished. There will be agreement on the amount of water that has to be drained to the sea keeping in mind the requirements of the lower riparian and costal areas, fisheries and mangrove forests.

 

Watersheds

 

The development and management of watersheds will be an integral part of Pakistan's investment plans. A national fund for watershed management will have been established with contribution from all provinces for the development of the upland areas.

 

Energy Use

 

The vision for the future is a hybrid system of energy supply in which indigenous, localized and renewable energy will be the main source of energy.