Water Stewardship - A Systemic Solution to Addressing Pakistan’s Water Crisis - Android

Water is a critical resource for the sustainability of any country, as there is a direct correlation between food security… Read More

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Water is a critical resource for the sustainability of any country, as there is a direct correlation between food security and water availability. It is an integral component of any industrial system and an important part of the animal and plant ecosystem.

However, the biggest challenge being faced by Pakistan today is the governance of this important resource and the gap between water supply and demand. Today, water problems are complex, involving an array of stakeholders to address this issue systemically.

Unfortunately, for Pakistan, the water challenges are largely governance challenges along with weak regulatory and institutional frameworks. Effective water governance ensures that water is equitable and sustainable for the citizens of any country.

In Pakistan’s case, 95% of its surface water and almost all its groundwater resources on agriculture and the remaining water is utilized for industrial and municipal purposes (Hisaar Foundation, 2016).

Agriculture has an important role to play in Pakistan’s economy, though this role is declining. It contributes to 19.5% of the GDP. There are four major crops responsible for water consumption whilst contributing less than 5% of total GDP. 73% of Pakistan’s total irrigation is dominated by Punjab, which also has the largest share of canal water with over 80% of the irrigated area reliant on groundwater.

Hence, there is a great need for Pakistan to introduce high-efficiency irrigation methods to improve water availability. There is enough evidence to suggest that Pakistan has enough water to meet its demands however, it is not used efficiently, Pakistan needs to improve it water governance for both public and private sector to cater to multiple demands.

Water Stewardship: Way Forward

The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) defines water stewardship as, “the use of water that is socially equitable, environmentally sustainable, economically beneficial, achieved through a stakeholder-inclusive process that involves site and catchment-based activities”.

This definition of water stewardship acknowledges the shared water risks and also calls for collective action to meet the challenge of the depleting their resources. Engaging relevant stakeholders bring in ownership, transparency and accountability o their actions. This is the driving force behind the Alliance for Water Stewardship which is a global alliance which puts companies on the pathway of water stewardship and helps manage their consumption collaboratively.

The framework presented by the Alliance of Water Stewardship has been implemented by various business across the globe. In Pakistan, Nestlé is leading as it is the first company to receive the certification of AWS for most of its manufacturing sites.

As part of its “Caring for Water initiative”, the company has implemented a framework which relies on collective action to respond to Pakistan’s water challenge. This integrated initiative is an example of how businesses can contribute towards achieving the SDGs particularly SDG 6 which focuses on Water and Sanitation.

This company is improving its water use both within its manufacturing sites and also working with communities to provide them clean drinking water and contributing towards introducing high-efficiency irrigation methods across various value chains.

By adopting a three-pronged integrated approach, this company is working on water savings and efficiency initiatives of its Manufacturing Sites by doing more to reduce, reuse and recycle water; working with Communities to provide access to safe and clean drinking water, and within the agriculture value chain to help farmers improve water management practices.

Tapping into the power of collaboration, Nestlé has build linkages and partnerships with various organizations as part of its “Caring for Water” initiative.

This includes partnerships with government institutes at both the federal and provincial level. Some of these partnerships include WWF Pakistan which is the implementing partner of the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS).

The partnership with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) is focused on water smart advocacy and engaging relevant stakeholders in order to raise awareness around water issues.

The collaboration with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) is developing and scaling up technologies that can help save water in agriculture. They are working with Nestlé Pakistan on the Smart Soil Sensors (Water Sense Project) as local deployment partners, installing and taking care of the hardware.

Lastly, the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) is working to develop a lighthouse for farmers in the capital territory by installing high-efficiency irrigation methods on 6 acres. This site has been set up in collaboration with Nestlé Pakistan. The company has helped save more than 300 million liters of water by promoting drip irrigation on around 110 acres.

Other examples of how the private sector is switching towards water-efficient manufacturing include American denim brand, Levi’s, for example, has a finishing technique called ‘Water Less’, that uses 96 percent less water than traditional methods. The company has made some 13 million ‘Water Less’ products since launching the initiative in 2011, and saved 172 million liters of water in the process.

The corporate sector can play an extremely important role in helping address Pakistan’s water challenge. The water challenge of Pakistan is more an issue water governance and management hence, water stewardship initiatives as taken by Nestlé Pakistan can serve as a lighthouse for businesses to adopt and efficiently use this scarce resource.

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