Bi-Annually Review Meeting Jan-June 2012

Presentation By

Saleem Shaikh Development Reporter

Reuters International, Daily Times, The News http://saleemshaikh@blogspot.com/

Young Journalists Fellowship Programme WaterAid, Pakistan

Targets set; Targets achievedTargets Set Targets Achieved

Feature Stories o3 Feature Stories 07

Investigative feature stories o1 Investigative stories 04

Fields Visits

Flood-hit districts in SindhSouthern Desert district in Punjab (Bahawalpur)

Field Visits

Sukkur, Thatta, Badin, Karachi (Sindh) Bahawalpur, Kasur, Multan, Lahore, Sheikhupura (Punjab)

Total 11 Stories

This QuarterI highlighted in my stories…Climate Change impact on country’s water resources; Its

mounting pressure on Wash sector;

Availability of contaminated water to the people, particularly the poor, increases their living costs;

Lowers their income earning potential, damages their well-

being and make life riskier.

Depleting water resources deepens mal-nutrition

Education and WASH

Development spending and WASH sector

Prioritising WASH in Budget 2012-13

Continues…Post 2011 flood Wash Situation in Sindh’s affected districts.

Some 13 out of 23 districts of Sindh were affected by rain-induced devastating floodwater, with over 5 million displaced.

Highlighted poor response to $357 million UN’s request to tackle emergency situation including water, sanitation, healthcare needs.

Acute shortages of food, water, shelter and sanitation have further weakened people’s - particularly pregnant women and children’s - resistance to diseases.

http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2012/02/fighting-poverty-and-unemployment-in-sindh/

From the Report…

“Enhance Livelihood, Reduce Poverty” programme launched in third week of January 2012  in Thatta district’s Ghorabari taluka by the Society for Conservation and Protection of Environment (SCOPE). Experts highlighted: Rising food prices, poor health facilities, rise in water-borne diseases caused by contaminated drinking water and bad sanitation, among other factors, have aggravated the state of poverty in the resource-rich Sindh. Riaz Hussain Sherazi, noted political leader: Livelihood development programmes in Sindh’s poverty-hit districts are need of the hour to fight poverty, unemployment. Poverty is major cause of bad health and education facilities.

 

 

http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2012/02/%E2%80%98early-recovery-framework%E2%80%99-for-pakistan%E2%80%99s-flood-victims/

From the Report…

1. Post 6-month relief phase launched in areas ruined by 2011 floods has concluded.

2.  3. Govt. in support with UN launched $440 million ‘Early Recovery

Framework’ 4.  5. Aims: Restoration of livelihoods, and support for food security, basic

social services, shelter, community infrastructure, health, nutrition, water and sanitation.

6.  7. 2011 floods that set off early August affected over 5 million people,

rendered 1.8 million homeless and destroyed standing crops over 2.2 million acres worth $2 billion.

8.  9. Around 1.2 million victims of Balochistan, Sindh were ready to

return, multi-million dollar Early Recovery Phase was must for post-relief ‘rehablitation activitis’.

10.  11. The Recovery Framework pressed for the restoration of basic

social services (health, education and protection, WASH, nutrition, shelter and community infrastructure through participatory community-based approaches.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C03%5C27%5Cstory_27-3-2012_pg3_4

 

From the Report….

The feature was in context of the World Water Day…marked on March 22

Water and food security: Theme of this year.

Water is key to food security. Meeting mounting food needs of the burgeoning population increasingly depends on efficient use of water.

Awareness-raising among all stakeholders for prudent use critical.

Policies for better use of groundwater storage for enhanced water availability for different users. 

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/climate-conversations/how-can-pakistan-ensure-water-security/

From the Report…UN Water: “Food security: Access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs for active, healthy life.Water: Key factor to food security.Climate change: A grave threat to rapidly depleting freshwater resources. Water availability per capital in Pakistan at below 1,100 cubic meters a year, down from 5,500 meters a year in 1950, according to government reports. Causes: Unsustainable mining of underground water, inadequate application of water-efficient technologies, lack of awareness among domestic consumers, intrusion of salinity into the ground water, contamination of underground water with harmful chemicals, polluting of subsoil water by unsafe disposal of urban and industrial waste. CLIMATE IMPACTS IN WATERRainfall is erratic, uneven and unpredictable. Soultion…Climate change mitigation adaptation initiatives integrated into water-resource management programmes.  Boost understanding… about efficient water use Abdul Hafeez, at WaterAid-Pakistan: institutional and governance reforms to strike a balance between demand and supply.

Planners and policymakers, in collaboration with non-government organizations, need to develop their knowledge and skills and those of water users to understand and prepare for the new challenges.

From the Report….

In this article….1. Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) findings

about contaminated of the Keenjhar Lake water to dangerous level highlighted.

2. Report’s findings: Every major city has reported unsafe drinking water. 3.  4. None of the water sources tested and analysed in Hyderabad, Karachi,

Sukkur, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Kasur, Multan, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Ziarat was safe for drinking purposes.

5. All of the 22 surface water bodies evaluated in the report have been found to be contaminated with colioforms, E. Coli, with high level of turbidity, concentrations of irons and fluoride. 

6. Unchecked dumping of untreated sewage, industrial and agriculture waste…Key causes.

7. Soaring level of pollution in Ravi River highlighted…that causing water-borne diseases among peoples, livestock.

8. Inadequate coverage of water issues in mainstream media discussed.

 

http://blogs.thenews.com.pk/blogs/2012/05/save-h20-or-else/

From the Report…

During recent visit to flood-hit areas in Southern Sindh districts, most of which rely on Keenjhar Lake for drinking water, farming and other purposes, the people and representatives of local NGOs and doctors at both government and private health facilities in these district complained that over last several years there has been steep rise in water-borne cases being reported from Thatta, Badin and other adjoining districts.

Similar complaints have been also echoed from country’s biggest metropolis of Karachi, whose over 90 percent water needs are met from Keenjhar Lake. But authorities concerned and responsible for controlling pollution in the Lake and other water bodies of the Sindh province have been seen doing little to address the issue of mounting water contamination.

 

 

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/05/17/epaper/pakistantoday/epaper-lahore/17th-may-2012-4/

From the report… Inadequate budgetary spending on education sector and its bad impacts on infrastructure  While major chunk of allocations goes to administrative side, little is left for provision of basic facilities: proper drinking water and sanitation facilities. Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) Study: nearly 92 per cent of the 154 government girls’ primary schools in 84 monitored districts of the country are without cleaners while 51 per cent have no clean drinking water facilities.  

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/blogs/climate-conversations/malnutrition-increases-on-the-horizon-in-south-asia/

From the Reporter….

Climate change and rising temperatures have now badly disturbed food production patterns…. and have deepened food insecurity.   Malnutrition is particularly increasing in the countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and India… because of the impacts of climate change. Droughts and water scarcity can reduce the diversity of diets and bring down overall food consumption, worsening malnutrition.  Flooding, sea level rise and worsening storm surges could expose more people to diarrhoea and other diseases, lowering their capacity to use food efficiently.

From the report…1. Budget 2012-13: Prioritising development spending2.  3. Improved state of human development must for durable socio-economic development. 4.  5. This is unachievable without adequate spending on housing, health, education, safe

drinking water and sanitation infrastructure.

6. Economic managers urged to set development priorities right and ensure realignment of the available resources for meeting the development challenges.

Pakistan spends not more than 0.37 percent on water and sanitation annually. 7.  8. Ramifications of inadequate spending on development sectors: mounting poverty,

malnutrition, health diseases, unemployment, slow industrialisation, persisting irregularities in agriculture sector and widening rural-urban divide. 

9.  10. World Human Development Index 2011: Pakistan in the low human development

category, positioned at 145 out of 187 countries.

11. Overall socio-economic benefits from investing in water and sanitation are arguably large and diverse.

12. Provision of water supply, sanitation and wastewater services generates substantial benefits for public health, the economy and the environment.  

13. Benefit-to-cost ratios have been reported to be as high as 7 to 1 for basic water and sanitation services in developing countries.

14.Over 10 percent of diseases burden avoidable with improvements to WASH services

 

http://e.thenews.com.pk/6-24-2012/nos_page5.asp

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2012-weekly/nos-24-06-2012/pol1.htm#5

From the Report…1. Asia’s fast growing city — Karachi, lays in disaster zone and given its

feeble infrastructure, particularly in coastal areas, has further increased its vulnerability towards natural disasters.

2. Breakdown of essential services like electricity and water can further aggravate the humanitarian impact of the disaster.

3.  City’s existing infrastructures, including high-rise commercial and residential buildings, hospitals, schools, water supply and drainage network, and unsustainable land-use patterns are much likely to suffer of enormous proportions… should any disaster strikes.

4. During recent visit to some coastal areas in Karachi, the scribe found most of the infrastructure including water supply network, sanitation system, sewerage and wastewater disposal system like in other parts of the city is in a dismal state.

 No lessons learnt…5. 14 cyclones, four of them ferocious, were recorded between 1971 and

2001 in coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan. 

6.  The city’s planners and managers hardly seem to have learnt lessons.

7.  Environmental experts press on need for investment in disaster risk mitigation and adaptation programmes.

http://pakobserver.net/detailnews.asp?id=162123 27 Jun 2012

From the Report….

1. Rs 181 billion Sindh Development budget for FY 2012-13 was analysed from WASH

Perspective. 

2. Poor uplift budget spending during 2011-12 and its impacton Wash Sector

Reviewed.

3. For instance… only 54 per cent (Rs59.94 billion) could be spent against release

of Rs 92 million.

4. Rs111 billion were earmarked for FY 2011-12 for Sindh Dev Budget

5. the Sindh government had put aside an amount of Rs111 for annual development

plan for fiscal year 2011-12. But only 54 per cent (Rs59.94 billion) could be spent

against release of Rs 92 million.

6. Poor uplift spending proved damaging infrastructure development, health,

education, safe water and sanitation sectors, which are already in bad shape. 

7. Lack of capacity: Cause of poor spending

8. Over 80 % without access to clean drinking water

9. Over 70 % lack access to safe sanitation

10.Proposed suggestions: Timely utilisation of dev budget in transparent manner

‘must’

11.Proper and fair monitoring of the spending and works is equally important.

www.saleemshaikh.blogspot.com/

Thanks Great Many