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Water – I/L – SyriaSyria experiencing water crunch now—quick transition to effective management scheme solves escalation. Sands 10 (Phil, Journalist @ The Nat'l, http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/syrias-water-shortage-causes-alarm, accessed 7/7/11) CJQ DAMASCUS// Immediate action is needed to stop a water crisis in Syria from getting worse, international experts have warned. The recommendation came after a Damascus conference on water use reported that national supplies had been cut in half between 2002 and 2008, partly through high rates of wastage. During that six-year period, water resources fell from a relatively comfortable annual level of 1,200 cubic metres per person to fewer than 750 cubic metres, according to figures presented by researchers. The 700-cubic-metre threshold puts a country in the ranks of those unable to meet domestic demand. Scientists and water engineers at the conference, which concluded last week, expressed alarm that Syria, until recently considered water rich for the Middle East, had so rapidly moved to the brink of scarcity. They said the country could meet its needs only if less water was wasted. "What upsets me are the inefficiencies in the system, and that's not excusable," said Ghassan Ejjeh, the conference chairman and a leading expert on water reuse. Based in Brussels, he was born and grew up in Damascus, a place he remembers as once lush with orchards and streams, conditions he contrasted with today's car-dominated urban crush. "Being short of water when there is nothing you can do about it is one thing, but it's quite another to be short when the situation could be alleviated through better use of supplies," he said. After the conference, arranged by the Levant Desalination Association and Nosstia, an organisation of expatriate Syrian scientists, Mr Ejjeh rejected suggestions that Syria had not reached a crisis point: the figures "speak for themselves". "You can call it whatever you want, but as things stand, Syria doesn't have enough water to meet its needs," he said. "If they have 750 cubic metres a year, that's a water crisis and it will quickly become something worse unless action is taken. Supplies dropped from 1,200 cubic metres to 750 very quickly and at that rate, there is going to be a real problem very soon." Syria's eastern Jazeera region, the country's breadbasket, has suffered from four years of drought so devastating that international aid agencies have been handing out emergency packages to feed the local population. The UN estimates that 600,000 people have fled because of water shortages. The north-eastern province of Hasika has been hardest hit, with the Khabur River, once a major water source in the area, now dry. The effect of the drought, considered a result of global climate change by environmental experts, was magnified by years of poor water management, according to Fouad Abousamra, a United Nation's scientist who gave a presentation at the Damascus conference "The issue started in the north-east with an excessive extraction of water from groundwater supplies, then, slowly with climate change and the reduction of rainfall, the problem was amplified," he said. Mr Abousamra, who is also Syrian, said the country could "not afford to wait" to address water problems in the north-east, although he characterised the situation as less pressing in Damascus. The problems can be solved with "proper management, clear policies and it will take money", he said. "The government knows how serious the problem is and they are beginning to take some steps, but more needs to be done." Senior government officials have stressed the need for more effective water policies and, on Monday, Nader al Bunni was replaced as irrigation minister by George Malaki Sawmi, a leading Syrian authority on the subject. He has been tasked with pushing through an extensive modernisation plan. Experts criticised Syria's inefficient techniques for agricultural irrigation, which accounts for 80 per cent of Syria's water use. Out-dated irrigation methods mean more than 70 per cent of that amount goes to waste. Nidal Hilal, a leading water scientist from Swansea University in the UK, said cutting waste would be a simple and effective way of stemming the water crisis. "People are using water excessively," he said. "The message of reduce, recycle and reuse needs to be heard in Syria, from the young people in schools right up to the highest authorities." Since 2002, Syria has been developing a major engineering plan to pump water from its western coastal area to Damascus. Engineers at the conference dismissed it as expensive and complicated. Water – I/L – PakistanDespite floods, lack of technology ensure Pakistan fails to cope with droughts—management solves. Express Tribune 11 (June 22, http://tribune.com.pk/story/193729/water-crisis-from-food-bowl-to-dust-bowl/, accessed 7/7/11) CJQ NUST Rector Engr Muhammad Asghar said that it is essential to raise awareness among media and policymakers regarding two silent tsunamis of water and food shortage that can potentially harm the future of the country. He asserted the dialogue would serve as a stepping stone in devising water management techniques. Dr Shahbaz Khan, Chief of Section on Sustainable Water Resources Development and Management, UNESCO, France, presented a comprehensive comparative analysis of Pakistan’s water problems. He pinpointed the four fundamental water-related challenges facing the country including its geo-political vulnerability to rapid population increase and climate change. He laid emphasis on efficient water management through technological advancement in this vital sector. “We are not prepared technologically and that makes us more susceptible to water crisis in comparison with other countries. Knowledge investment can lead to better water future,” he said. UNESCO Pakistan Chapter Director Dr Kozue Kay Nagata, while addressing the gathering, stressed the need for taking urgent steps with regard to natural disaster management in Pakistan. She said that though natural disasters are beyond human control, the risk factor can be reduced by means of utilising the immense potential of science and technology. She said that Pakistan is unique in that not only does it witness floods of “biblical proportion” but is also afflicted by droughts from time to time. 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