ISLAMABAD - Senate Forum for Policy Research (SFPR) on Thursday expressed its concern over the matter of water scarcity scenario in the country and recommended that more dams should constructed to resolve the issue.

The committee met here at PIPS under the chairmanship of former Senate chairman Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari. Senators including Muhammad Mohsin Khan Leghari, Afrasiab Khattak, Engr Rukhsana Zuberi, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini and Razina Alam Khan also attended the meeting. Special Assistant to Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar Khan also attended the meeting.

The meeting was informed that the country wastes water worth approximately $21 billion into the sea each year due to a lack of reservoirs.

Chairmen of Indus River System Authority (Irsa) and the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) made shocking revelations while briefing attendees about the country's lack of water reservoirs and water distribution to provinces.

"The country needs three Mangla-sized dams to conserve the amount of water that goes to sea each year," Irsa members told the meeting while informing them that Pakistan faces a 36 percent shortage in its water requirements at the moment.

If no water reservoirs are made, the country faces an extreme water shortage in the coming years, Irsa members said as they endorsed the long-overdue creation of the Kalabagh Dam.

Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari said that water scarcity issue is becoming a big challenge in the country.

The committee recommended Irsa devise a strategy to overcome the water shortage in the coming season. The committee recommended that Irsa should not only distribute water but also take initiative for the availability of water in the country.

Special Assistant to PM Haroon Akhtar Khan said that water scarcity is one of the serious matters, adding that new dams should be constructed to overcome the water shortage issues.

The committee agreed that water scarcity only can be resolved by constructing new dams in the country.

SHORTAGE OF WATER IN PHULELI CANAL: The Executive Engineers Phuleli Canal and Akram Wah Division informed about the shortage of water in Akram Wah and Phuleli Canal Divisions.

IRSA authorities have declared the water shortage of up to 35 to 40 percent in River Indus System, therefore the Akram Wah System and Phuleli Canal System, Cantonment areas will be badly affected, said a statement issued in Karachi on Thursday. The administration of Hyderabad, Tando Muhammad Khan and Badin District and the people of the area are informed that they may face shortage of water during the period in Rabi season so they are advised to not misuse the water.