Pakistan News And Discussion-14

[Naresh]

<b>ADB report outlines Pakistan’s water woes</b> <!--emo&:flush--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/Flush.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='Flush.gif' /><!--endemo-->

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->ISLAMABAD, Nov 29 : <b>Pakistan has reached the water scarcity threshold of 1,000 cubic metres per person a year and has been ranked among the worst performers in Asia</b> in terms of water use, capacity and quality although water has been on President Musharraf’s priority agenda for eight years.

“In terms of water resource availability, the per capita total actual renewable water resources value reduced from 2,961 cubic metre a year in 2000 to 1,420 cubic metre in 2005… and just a little over 1,000 cubic metre per year in 2006-07, fractionally over the scarcity threshold,” according to “Asia Water Development Outlook 2007” report of the Asian Development Bank.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>The ADB advised Pakistan to increase its water sector spending to a minimum of one per cent of GDP from the current 0.25 per cent. “In Pakistan, <span style='font-size:21pt;line-height:100%'>military spending is 47 times the expenditure in the water sector.</span></b> It is a small price to pay for improved quality of life, millions of young lives saved, increased productivity and generating an economic return to boost prosperity.”<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

<b>I O W :</b> Pakistan's Annual Defence Spending is 11.75% of its GDP. Bravo!

Cheers <!--emo&:beer--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cheers.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='cheers.gif' /><!--endemo-->