GOVERNANCE

 

The and planning machinery of the public sector in Pakistan is highly centralized. Similarly, the water sector is characterized by centralized decision-making in terms of all major decisions regarding the fixing of water rates, collection and assessment system, operation and maintenance, etc. The centralized system of decision-making was fueled by the failure of the government to invest in local level institutions and emerging problems. The local institutions were unable to fill the void that existed at the grass roots level. In the early 1990s there was a realization that the state system had failed on several accounts. The limited resources available to the public sector also indicated the extent to which the State had over committed itself. The record of both economic and political governance in Pakistan was poor and under successive regimes it has become even weaker. The governance of the water sector in symptomatic of this poor record in governance. Pakistan today stands at the threshold of a crisis in the water sector perpetuated by this failure to govern effectively.

 

Core Challenges/Issues

 

How do we ensure that the interests of those who are governed are served and protected by those who govern.

 

How do we ensure that the powers, instruments and tools of governance which are placed at the disposal of those who govern will not be misused and will be used to serve the national interest and protect the rights of the citizens.

 

How do we develop and manage our water resources in a more effective and intelligent manner in the face of competing demand.

 

How do we make the distribution of our water resources equitable.

 

How do we make the investments in the physical infrastructure for water sustainable.

 

How do we put in place effective and impartial mechanisms for conflict resolution acceptable to all parties.

 

Core Objectives

 

To have a vibrant civil society in which the NGOs, private sector, local communities and other representative of civil society actively collaborate to achieve the overall objectives of sustainable development in the country and in which the government will facilitate the process of negotiation and consensus building through an appropriate policy framework and from direct intervention to providing appropriate market signals.

 

To ensure that the interests of those who are governed are served and protected by those who govern.

 

To ensure that the powers, instruments and tools of governance which are placed at the disposal of those who govern are not be misused and will be used to serve the national interest and protect the rights of the citizens.