Water Scarcity and Sustainability in an Emerging Economy: A Management Perspective for Future

Dianxi Zhang, Muhammad Safdar Sial, Naveed Ahmad, António José Filipe, Phung Anh Thu, Malik Zia-Ud-Din and António Caleiro
Additional contact information
Dianxi Zhang: Economics and Management School, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Muhammad Safdar Sial: Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
Naveed Ahmad: UCP Business School, University of Central Punjab, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
António José Filipe: Departamento de Matemática, Iscte—Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, ISTAR-Iscte, BRU-Iscte, 1649-026 Lisboa, Portugal
Phung Anh Thu: Faculty of Finance and Accounting, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, 300 A Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, District 4, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
Malik Zia-Ud-Din: Faculty of Law, Islamia University, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Water scarcity is rising as a global issue, because the planet earth is facing a global water crisis, which is considered something that can destroy environmental sustainability of our planet. The fact is that humanity’s demand is depleting natural resources faster than nature can replenish itself; if human habits and unsustainable use of water resources do not change, water scarcity will inevitably intensify and become a major cause of conflict among different nations of the world. The water scarcity issue is a crucial issue but unfortunately it has not received due attention in past. Pakistan, which once was a water abundant country, now facing a situation of water scarcity. Pakistan has a poor irrigation system which results 60% loss of its water; Pakistan uses more water for crop production than other countries. Likewise, the country harvests water from rainfall, rivers, snow, and glaciers. The country is facing a serious water crisis that is caused by different factors, such as changing climatic conditions, rising population, poor irrigation system, poor political will, and rapid urbanization. The water crisis of Pakistan is expected to worsen in coming years. This is a drastic situation which calls for emergency measures. With this background, the present study provides a detailed view of the water situation in the country with challenges to water management. The study also suggests some recommendations for policymakers to improve the water crisis situation in the future.

Keywords: water scarcity; sustainable development; emerging economy; environmental sustainability; surface water; groundwater; Pakistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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