Sameer Nazir
KARACHI: IUCN, International Union for Conservationof Nature organized a special lecture on: ‘Relevance of Environmental Laws in Advancing Sustainable Development Agenda’by Dr. Patrick A. Shea, a Research Professor of Biology, University of Utah, USA on Friday, 13th May 2016 at the IUCN Pakistan Country Program Office.
Environmental Law has an important role in managing natural resources. Water Law is to allow policy makers, scientists and engineers to figure out as to what needs to be done to make healthy water available for the wellbeing of people. Once they become aware of it, they can draw the policy for them in a better manner.
Dr. Shea described that the land and water have a very strong relationship as the landwithout water is futile,and water without land does not have any value.
He also mentioned of a Riparian Way System law in the United States which states that if the water flows through your property or beneath your property you own it. Unless you do not pollute it you are entitled to use it.
He strongly recommended the Australian process of leasing water as the best alternative for the future in Pakistan. After fouryears of drought in Australia they told the farmers that their water rights werebeing revoked and that theywouldbe replaced with a lease and each year they would be entitled to use the water that the lease described. “But now you can use it or sell it to others for upto maximum of three years. This way they valued water like never before. Under this arrangement the individual can make a choice at the local level, either to use the water or to lease it to others,” he explained. He addedthat Pakistan had plenty of water at the time of its formation, but in the year 2015 it is down to a level of a water scarce country under the definition of the United Nations of the countries that faced scarcity of water.
He said that the amount of water coming down from glaciers is decreasing because of climate change and the volume in time is unpredictable. All at sudden whenever there is a very strong heat-wave there can be a very strong and damaging floods. Now the challenge for the scientists and engineers is as how to predict the floods. He suggested that we do have the technical means and remote sensing devices to monitorthe melting rate, the flow rate, and how much water is available in these glaciers. He was of the view that by using these tools effectively we can accurately predict water availability.
He strongly recommended usage of petroleum technologyto find out the carrying capacity of the underground water aquifers, recharging rate and how much water is available and how much can be taken out without threatening the structure of the aquifer.
He warned of an intrusion of saline water in Karachi’s underground aquifers due to close proximity to the sea. He said that the saline water is heavier and it pushes out sweetwater when the two come to the same space. He said that if you know how much water you can take without compromising the structure of the aquifer you can regulate it properly, otherwise either the aquifer collapses or saline will invade the space and will not have any storing capacity.
He said that for the vitality of the land and vitality of our well being it is important that every ounce of water is monitored that flows down from Himalaya.
In his welcome address Mr. Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, IUCN Country Representative said that IUCN Pakistan has played an important role in the formation of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA) 1997 in consultation with the government. IUCN has helped the provincial governments in Pakistan in the formulation of Provincial Environmental Acts after the 18th Amendment.
He also said that IUCN Pakistan organized the first ever South Asian Conference on Environmental Justice in the year 2012 that brought together around 200 practitioners and the Chief Justices and their designees from the highest courts of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka; Brazil, Malaysia, and Indonesia; along with other eminent experts and dignitaries gathered in Bhurban to take up the cause of the environment and ensure expedient environmental justice.
Mr. Shea’s mission to Pakistan was to gain perspective on the context of water challenges and opportunities in Pakistan, foster relationship building with faculty and students at Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, and to establish network of leaders of federal agencies in U.S. and corresponding leaders in federal agencies in Pakistan.
The participants of the lecture included: government officials, private sector, media, representatives of the civil society organizations. Following the lecture there was a questions and answers session.