Hira Tahir
Pakistan is facing a serious water crisis. Along with crisis posed by rivers and streams running dry, Pakistan’s alarming depleted ground water levels have left most parts of the country parch. If this condition prolong, the country may face water scarcity by 2025, states the PIDE report. The dismal fact is that majority of people in Pakistan are unaware about this issue. Francis Bacon has rightly said that ‘knowledge is power’. When people have knowledge about water crisis, they can better utilize the water and pay attention to water saving in the country.
Before elaborating the causes and impacts of water crisis, let us discuss the current status of water in Pakistan. The per Capita water availability in Pakistan in 2025 will be 860 cubic meters per person against 5600 cubic meters per person in 1947, according to Wealth Pk. The major reliance for water is on Indus River System which is fed by rainfalls and glacial melt. Groundwater supplies 90% of domestic water in rural areas of Pakistan , 70% of domestic water nationally and 50% of agriculture water.
Audrey Hepburn said, “Water is life, and clean water means health.” No one can live without water. All aspects of life is directly or indirectly depend on water. From household to health, energy , agriculture, and biodiversity as well, water is fundamental ingredient of life. The startling fact is that Pakistan has ranked at 14 among 17 extremely high water risk countries of the world, a list that consist of hot and dry counties like Saudi Arabia.
There are many factors which play significant role in the water crisis in Pakistan such as rapid population growth followed by climate change ( which fuel the fire), poor water management, traditional irrigation methods, inefficient infrastructure, and water pollution as well. Industries discharge toxic waste without any kind of filtration and the sanitation system is very poor in Pakistan. In some places that waste mixed with fresh water and damage the quality of water. That water pollution posed havoc to the water streams of Pakistan. A survey conducted by some International Organizations highlighs that Pakistan wastes 10 trillion gallons of water per annum and Ravi is most polluted river in the world.
Despite the fact that Pakistan possessed Indus River and many other streams, the mismanagement of water leads to water scarcity in low- riparian areas such as Kotri( Sindh). This water crisis is a major cause of decline of agriculture share in gdp of Pakistan which was 53.2% in 1950 and 22.35% in 2024 (Pakistan Economic Survey 2024). Besides that, the polluted water is the key factor of risisng health problems in Pakistan. People of under-deveopled areas such as Balochistan are compelled to drink unhygienic water. This leads to waterborne diseass in Balochistan such as diarrhea, typhoid, some strains of hepatitis etc.
Water crisis hinders Industrial growth, enlarge food bills, elevate reliance on fossil fuels, and water disputes between provinces as well. Water scarcity contributes to perpetuating poverty, especially in developing countries. Limited access to clean water and adequate sanitation facilities affects education, as children, especially girls, are often burdened with the responsibility of fetching water instead of going to school. In the same way, Water scarcity is a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem health. Many freshwater ecosystems, including rivers, wetlands, and lakes, are experiencing degradation and habitat loss due to water scarcity.
During the mid 1800 Bristish colonisers built the largest canal system in Sindh and Punjab. After the creation of Pakistan, many dams and barrages were constructed with the help of International donors such as world bank. Currently, the condition of those projects is very fragile. To manage this issue, Pakistan had formulated National Water Policy in 2018, but huge vacuum exist between policy planning and implementation. Another disappointing factor is that think-tanks of the country are not addressing this issue. Owing to this negligence Pakistan has only 185 dams and only 2 large ones. In contrast, India has 5000 dams and China has 8400 dams including 4000 large ones.
Dancing around the fire is not the solution of the problem. One has to go deep down and root out the issue. The water crisis of Pakistan requires urgent attention and collective actions. Pakistan should learn the lesson from International events (such as Flint water crisis 2014, which led to health problems and outrage in the country) and pay attention to this issue. Pakistan is blessed with natural resources, the need of the hour is the efficient use of natural resources and strategic policy planning. Through proper water management, water conservation, International cooperation, upgradation of infrastructure, and water treatment as well Pakistan can counter the issue. To sum up, this issue is required a multifaceted approach as the fate of future generation of Pakistan depends on our ability to address the issue today, let us rise to the change.
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