This book is a compendious account of the situation in respect of water resources in Pakistan. It packs an impressive amount of material into 126 pages, and both the presentation of information and the discussion of issues are lucid and highly readable. It is an extremely useful book. Broadly speaking, the picture presented in the book is one of solid achievements in the past, marred by certain failures and weaknesses leading to some critical problems in the present, compounded by the increasing pressure cast on a finite resource by a growing population, the processes of urbanization and the pursuit of economic development, pointing to severe difficulties in the future unless certain remedial steps are taken. The book recommends the rehabilitation and better maintenance of existing structures, the building of new
October 2007, volume 31, No 10