Much of Pakistan's water shortage their own making

Associated Press via The Washington Post; July 26, 2010

ISLAMABAD -- Besides grappling with insurgents, suicide bombers and deep poverty, Pakistan is facing a severe crisis as a ballooning population and inefficient farming combine to reduce the availability of water.

Up to a third of Pakistan's 175 million people lack safe drinking water and nearly 630 children die each day from diarrhea, according to a study done last year by the U.S.-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Water availability per person in Pakistan has fallen from about 5,000 cubic meters (175,000 cubic feet) in 1947, when the country was founded, to around 1,000 cubic meters (35,000 cubic feet) today.

Most of the drop is the result of a population that has more than quadrupled since independence, but many scientists predict global warming could have a significant impact by shrinking the glaciers that feed Pakistan's rivers.

Experts also point to inefficient irrigation methods in Pakistan as a key factor.

At least 90 percent of Pakistan's water is used for farming, and around 25 percent is wasted by farms that use flood irrigation, according to last year's study.