KABUL - President Ashraf Ghani has emphasized on more and urgent efforts to properly manage the country’s water resources which he called a natural asset, saying work so far done in this regard is inadequate.
The president said this while chairing a meeting of the High Council on Land, Water and Environment at the Presidential Palace, a statement from the palace said.
The meeting discussed matters relating to the management of water resources, the overall situation of water distribution and irrigation system, the statement said.
At the beginning, deputy water and energy minister Eng. Khan Mohammad Takal discussed four phases of reaching the national target of better water management, analysis of the country's water situation and challenges and presented his proposals in this regard.
Second Vice President Sarwar Danish, Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, Finance Minister Mohammad Humayon Qayyoumi, Rural Development Minister Mujiburrahman Karimi Presidential Advisor Amin Karim also presented their views regarding proper and more accurate management of water resources.
The president said efforts undertaken for management of water showed coordination between authorities concerned had increased, but said it was still insufficient and more work and efforts should be made in this regard.
“The information on the state of water in the country is indicative of the abandonment of the sector," the president said.
He said they should work on a national plan to make their activities more coherent and achieve tangible results in a short time.
He also said the public perception remained that the water situation was constant, but it has changed due to climate change.
“We need to have a clear vision at the national level and there is a need for a basic roadmap to make clear progress on water management," Ghani said.
The president said 90 percent the country’s irrigation remained traditional and with the advent of climate change, the sector was in danger. (Pajhwok)