World Water Day 2019 celebration

WaterAid Pakistan organised World Water Day in collaboration with Governor House Punjab. The new government, in an attempt to accelerate access to clean drinking water, mandated Governor of Punjab to oversee the provision of water in the province. The Governor hosted the World Water Day event in the Governor house that was attended by over 400 participants including ministers, parliamentarians, government officials, civil society members, researchers, media and student. A commercial organisation that is working on water technologies showcased their products in the event.

The key highlight of the event was the public announcement of newly enacted law to set up unified authority on drinking water. The legislative core group on WASH that is supported by WAP played a vital role in the new legislation. The Government House spokesperson shared the roadmap for the provision of clean drinking water with media under the newly passed legislation on water.

The speakers including ministers spoke about the need for regulating groundwater extraction. Pakistan has the fourth largest groundwater aquifer over 1,137,819 km2 -- making it slightly larger than England. Across Pakistan, the groundwater contribution is estimated to be 60 per cent for the agriculture sector, 90 per cent for the drinking water and 100 per cent usage in industry. Pakistan is the third largest consumer of groundwater ending up making the Indus Basin aquifer the second most “overstressed” groundwater basin in the world.

In a run-up to the WWD, a nationwide Photo Contest was organised to brings to light the various issues faced by urban and rural communities when it comes to accessing clean water like walking for miles and spending hours just to access a few buckets of water or the severe health implications of consuming unclean water. The three winners of the photo competition got prizes and gifts from the ministers.