While realizing the impacts of climate change, alarming population growth and poor agriculture practices on water reservoirs of the country, there is a dire need of promoting the idea of reusing wastewater for non-portable purposes through installation of treatment plants in big cities. The population bulge and expansion of housing societies will result in production of billions of tons of wastewater in near future and its high time to promote the concept of treating discarded water to overcome water scarcity by reusing the commodity for irrigation purpose, cleanliness, use of fire brigade, car washing etc.
These views were expressed by environmentalists and expert on water conservation during a field trip of journalists to a waste water treatment plant. The trip was organized by Institute of Urbanization (IoU) for awareness of Eco-Journalists to explore the benefits of reusing of wastewater through installation of plant at a posh housing society. The environmentalists included Dr. Ejaz Ahmad, Senior Fellow IoU, Abdul Rauf G.M Water and Power and Attiq-ur-Rehman, Manager Operation Water treatment Plant Bharia Town.
“Pakistan is generating 2301 million cubic meters of wastewater per year and if half of this water is utilized for non-potable purposes through treatment, it will help a lot in overcoming water scarcity by reducing pressure on extraction of ground water,” they opined. For becoming climate resilient country we must consider waste water as a source of valuable content through which the need of water for non-potable purposes can be met through installation of treatment plants at cities, industries etc, they suggested.Water availability in Pakistan has plummeted from 5229 cubic meters per inhabitant in 1962 to just 1187 in 2017. While latest survey will reveal the more dangerous picture.
