Water Crisis in Pakistan

 Introduction
 Sources and Utilization of water in Pakistan
 Water scarcity in Pakistan
 Causes
o Climate change
o Water politics and Indian Projects
o Reckless water management and misuse
o Unchecked abstraction of groundwater
 Impact
o Desolation of agriculture
o Economic discord
o Reduction in power generation
o Social unrest
 Management
o National Water Policy 2018
o Construction of Dams and reservoirs
o Advanced Irrigation Techniques
o Conservation awareness
o Other measures(RO Plants, desalination, rainwater harvesting)
 Conclusion

Intro

And we made every living thing from water. So will they not accept faith? (Quran)

All life needs is water. It is the world’s most precious resource, fueling everything from the food you eat,
to the cotton you wear, to the energy you depend upon every day. Freshwater habitats—such as lakes,
rivers, streams, wetlands and aquifers—house an incredible proportion of the world’s biodiversity: more
than 10% of all known animals and about 50% of all known fish species. Yet despite the massive role
water plays for people and nature, it is a surprisingly finite resource. Less than 1% of the world's water is
fresh and accessible. It’s also threatened. Climate change, population growth and changing consumption
patterns are just a few of the myriad forces putting freshwater systems increasingly at risk, particularly
in Pakistan, a water-intensive country, where 70% of water is used for irrigation.

Rain water harvesting

Reverse Osmosis plants in Mithi, Sindh

Source and utilization of water in pak

Irsa regulates the water of the rivers in Pakistan which was formed in 1991 through the water
accord to unravel the dispute of water between the provinces and ensure apportionment. The main
source of freshwater in Pakistan are the three snowcapped mountain ranges - the Himalayas, Hindu
Kush and Karakoram - surrounding Pakistan, spanning 11,780 square kilometers with 7,259 glaciers,
containing 2,066 cubic kilometers of ice. It is these glaciers that feed the mighty Indus and its 1.12
million square kilometers basin.

The extensive river system of Pakistan include Indus, Jehlum, Chenab, Ravi Sutlej and Bias among other
small rivers. Through the Indus water treaty the former three were allocated to Pakistan while the later
three were allocated to India. Pakistan has two large dams Tarbela and Mangla with 6.434 maf and 7.39
maf active storage capacity.

Pakistan is a hydraulic society, driven by water, and it possesses the largest contiguous irrigation
system in the world. Whether measured in terms of quantity of water commanded, or the acreage of
lands irrigated through the system, what has been built since partition is a truly massive and impressive
water command system that underlies our food security. In Pakistan 70 % of the water is used in
agriculture, 22 % in industry and 8 % at our homes.

Water scarcity in Pakistan

Problems associated with water are perhaps amongst the most important in Pakistan. Pakistan
has the world's fourth highest rate of water use. Pakistan extracts almost 75 per cent of its “freshwater
annually, thereby exerting tremendous pressure on renewable water resources. Its water intensity rate
- the amount of water, in cubic meters, used per unit of GDP - is the world’s highest. This suggests that
no country's economy is more water-intensive than Pakistan's. According to the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), Pakistan is already the third most water-stressed country in the world. Over 27 million
Pakistanis still do not have access to safe water and almost 53m do not have access to adequate
sanitation facilities.

The country’s water profile has changed drastically in that it went from being a water-abundant
country to a water-stressed country. Pakistan’s growing population - 207.8 million - has taken a toll on
the per capita surface water availability in the country. The Falkenmark Water Stress Indicator sets 1000
cubic metres per capita as the threshold where water shortage starts hurting economic growth and
human health. The water availability in Pakistan per person has declined from 5,260 cubic metres in
1951 to around 1,000 cubic metres in 2020, and is likely to further drop down to about 860 cubic metres
by 2025, listing Pakistan from a ‘water stressed’ to a ‘water scarce’ country. There are myriad reasons
for water scarcity in Pakistan.

Causes
  Climate change
Water resources in Pakistan are affected by climate change as it impacts the behavior of glaciers,
rainfall patterns, greenhouse gas emissions, recurrence of extreme events such as floods and droughts.
The changing patterns of precipitation and access to quality water, due to glaciers melting, has shown
the negative impact of climate change, as it increases the chance of flood and drought.

Water scarcity in Pakistan has been accompanied by rising temperatures. "Heat waves and droughts
in Pakistan are a result of climate change. The monsoon season has become erratic in the past few
years. The winter season has shrunk from four to two months in many parts of the country. One of the
effects of rising temperature and warming is the increase in atmospheric water, which leads to denser
rainfall at the cooling of the air around. Though increased rainfall can enhance the freshwater resources,
but there is swift water movement from air back to the oceans, which reduces the human capacity to
store and utilize this water. Another impact of rising temperature is the melting of glaciers, which
increases the short term water supply to fresh water resources. In semi-arid lands, the climate change
has resulted in a reduced rainfall. Overall, climate change has intensified the water cycle, thus, resulting
in heavy floods and severe droughts in Pakistan.

Water politics and Indian Projects

Along with physical barriers to water security, water politics has also exacerbated the crisis. As a
result of colonial-era water laws and a lack of serious governance, Pakistan’s water policies have come
to be dominated by three main factors: a dependence on increasingly archaic laws and frameworks; a
strong preference for large-scale engineering projects to solve water issues; and loosely defined water
rights.

We have only two big reservoirs, Tarbela and Mangla, and we can save water only for 30 days.
India can store water for 190 days whereas the US can do it for 900 days. Pakistan receives around 145
million acre feet of water every year but can only save 13.7 million acre feet. Pakistan needs 40 million
acre feet of water but 29 million acre feet of our floodwater is wasted because we have few dams.
Pakistan has not implemented any major water storage infrastructure projects since the commissioning
of the Mangla and Tarbela dams in the 1960s and 1970s, and water storage capacity has often receded
to less than 30 days whereas the minimum requirement is 120 days. According to a 2015 hydrographic
survey, the storage capacity of the Tarbela Dam has declined by 35 per cent since it was commissioned.
The inability of the government to construct a large reservoir is purely due to vested political interests
and provincial disagreement.

The Kishanganga hyproelelectric Power Plant inaugurated by India in 2018 actually diverts
water from Kishanganga river which violates the Indus Water treaty. Pakistan had protested the
construction of the Kishanganga project, arguing it would adversely affect 133,209 hectares of
agricultural land in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. It has been estimated that a shortfall of about 21% of the
Neelum flow is likely to reduce the power potential of Neelum-Jhelum Link Hydroelectric Project (NJHP)
by 9.25%.
 Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project is a run-of-the-river power project on the Chenab River in
the Indian administered state of Jammu and Kashmir. Storage of water in Baglihar Dam reduced the flow
of water in Chenab River and badly affected the agriculture sector of Pakistan. Pakistan lost 23000
cusecs of water; farmers could not irrigate their fields due to shortage of water and resultantly 3.5
million agriculture tracts got barren.

Similarly other under construction projects such as 1000 MW Pakal Dul and 850 MW Ratle
hydroelectric projects India is developing will divert water from Chenab River thus inflicting heavy loss
on the agriculture sector.

Reckless water management and misuse

During kharif crop sowing season nearly 1 MAF water is lost, i.e it was released but never
reached the command heads further downstream. Some losses are normal, due to seepage and
evaporation, but IRSA says the figure is unusual. This loss is south of Taunsa Barrage. Reports of
widespread black marketing of water, which is pumped out illegally using pumps and then poured into
tankers which are sold to farmers at a steep price, are widespread across Sindh. Tail-end farmers on the
Nara canal, which feeds large parts of Mirpurkhas Division, for example, claim they have counted more
than 800 pumps operating upstream while their watercourses are parched.
Can this sort of theft be possible without the connivance of the provincial irrigation
department? On top of this, there is the matter of poor water practices on farms, where large
landowners still use antiquated flood-irrigation techniques, resulting in much wastage, instead of
investing in modern irrigation technologies to conserve and make judicious use of a scarce resource. In
spite of water scarcity, farmers in the Lower Indus Basin of Pakistan are still using pancho-irrigation
system; a system where standing water in the rice fields is drained after every 4-5 days and fresh canal
water is applied to replace the drained water. Until these problems – theft and wastage – are
adequately addressed, it would be futile to talk of Pakistan’s water crisis in terms of quantity alone.
Drought is indeed a natural phenomenon that humans can do little to reverse. But how we adapt to it is
in our control.

Unchecked abstraction of groundwater

Intensive irrigation also has implications for Pakistan’s groundwater supply, as a lack of reliable
surface water has caused farmers to increasingly rely on groundwater. Of the water used for irrigation,
approximately half comes from aquifers, in part because it is not subject to seasonal availability. While it
is a convenient water source, an increase in pumping in recent decades has led to a significant decline in
groundwater tables, especially in Punjab and Sindh, where agriculture is the most widespread.
In Karachi, what little water is supplied to residents is surface water; while in Lahore
groundwater is supplied to the residents. With nearly 50 to 55 million acre feet (MAF) pumped out, and
only 40 to 45 MAF recharged, the aquifer is getting drained faster than it can be replenished. A NASA-led
study has confirmed this. The researchers studied 37 of the largest aquifers of the world between 2003
and 2013, and found the Indus Basin aquifer the second-most overstressed, and being depleted without
getting recharged. It is also on the World Resource Institute’s water stress index.

Lahore’s population of over 11 million is supplied with 1.29 MAF daily of groundwater extracted
through hand pumps, motor pumps, and tubewells. In 1960, there were about 20,000 tubewells in the
Punjab. Today, water experts say there are over a million. This is because anyone can install a tubewell
of any capacity, at any depth, and extract any amount of water.

The problem isn’t just about the decreasing quantity of groundwater, but also that the resource
has been contaminated by industrial and municipal effluent. Last year, a research published in Science
Advances analyzing data from nearly 1,200 groundwater samples from across Pakistan stated that up to
60 million people were at risk from the deadly chemical - arsenic. The World Health Organization has
established a level of 10 micrograms per liter as the permissible concentration in drinking water, but
Pakistan government says that 50 micrograms per liter is acceptable. The study said “very high
concentrations, above 200 micrograms/liter, are found mainly in the south” and warned that regular
consumption of water containing high concentrations of arsenic may lead to skin disorders, lung cancer,
and cardiovascular diseases.

Impacts

Agriculture is our backbone and the water flowing in the channels to the crops is its blood line
—and if there is no or less water then we should be prepared for facing problems economically
as well as socially.

Desolation of Agriculture

Pakistan is an agricultural country and depends on agriculture the most. The agriculture sector
cannot be neglected in any case as it can lead to famine. More than 90 per cent of our fresh water is
used in agriculture and 60 per cent of our population is directly or indirectly associated with agriculture.

Pakistani farmers cultivate 21.2 million hectares of land, of which more than 80 per cent is
irrigated. Farming is dominated by four water-intensive crops: wheat, sugarcane, rice and cotton. As a
result, 93 per cent of the water consumed in Pakistan is used for agriculture

The provinces have to bear a cut in their water share whenever there is shortage in the system
for the sowing season of Kharif crops. Consequently, crop damage reports are extensive; burnt
sugarcane fields; destroyed chillies and vegetables; cotton sown three times by farmers as crops died
due to unavailability of water right after sowing are experienced due to shortage of water. This scenario
directly impacts the agriculture sector which supports a big chunk of Pakistan’s population.
Economic discord

Agriculture is the lifeline of Pakistan’seconomy accounting for 19.2 percent of the gross domestic
product, employing 37.4 percent of the labour force and providing raw material for several value-added
sectors.

According to the estimates of federal government, the agriculture sector would suffer a loss of
about Rs. 90 billion because of drought. Since agriculture has remained a major source of shouldering
the already crippled economy, it has a vital role to play particularly in terms of food security and
employment of the ever-burgeoning population of the country. It contributes 65% of our export
earnings, the largest among all sectors. The adverse effects of water shortage on agriculture would have
a spiraling effect on the prevailing level of poverty.

Less water means less agricultural yields and to fulfill the food requirements of the nation, we will
be dependent on other countries, increasing imports and ultimately increasing the already swelling
trade deficit which stood at $ 37.7 billion for the fiscal year 2017-2018, the highest trade deficit ever in
history of Pakistan.
Due to less production of main crops, which are wheat, cotton, sugar cane and rice, the Industries
related to them will suffer adversely. Consequently, less agricultural outputs will compel people to head
towards urban areas for jobs, which will increase the unemployment further.
In addition livestock, which is the main source of livelihood of rural areas, will be affected due to
shortage of water, as water is necessary for fodder to keep the cattle healthy and active. Furthermore,
orchards of Pakistan bring home a healthy amount of foreign exchange, which can be affected due to
water shortage.

Social unrest

Tension between Punjab and Sindh grew this year after shortage of water during the kharif season
jumped from earlier projections of 10pc to nearly 30pc with the drop in temperature in the catchment
areas. This forced IRSA to release water from Mangla for Sindh’s cotton crop as the provincial
government accused Irsa and Punjab of cutting its water share. Punjab has accused Sindh of under-
reporting water availability for irrigation in that province. This is not the first time the two provinces are
bickering over how to share water. Although the 1991 accord was expected to help bridge
interprovincial tensions, it hasn’t. The provinces have been accusing each other of stealing water and
IRSA is blaming them for misreporting. If this situation prevails and water crisis further worsens it may
lead to rift between provinces and tarnish the national integrity.

Water mafia which is still active in the province of Sindh would take advantage of the worsened water
situation and may start operating in other parts of the country. People would be compelled to buy water
at a steep price form the tanker mafia. If the situation worsens further, communal discord and
interprovincial dispute would aggravate the socio-political setup of the country.
Management
Advanced irrigation techniques

Pakistan has the largest contiguous irrigation system in the world. However, owing to the poor state of
infrastructure, water is lost due to poor transmission and seepage. Canal lining is the process of reducing
seepage loss of irrigation water by adding an impermeable layer to the edges of the trench. Seepage can
result in losses of 30 to 50 percent of irrigation water from canals, so adding lining can make irrigation
systems more efficient.

Rainwater harvesting and partially treated sewage lagoons for groundwater recharge are two available
solutions but we are light years away from adopting these on a large scale.

Our agriculture sector’s affinity for flood irrigation is costing us dearly too. Not only we are
wasting fresh water by adopting archaic irrigation methods, we are also registering the lowest per acre
crop yield regionally.

Alternate irrigation techniques such as drip and spray irrigation techniques should be adopted by the
farming community so as to conserve water for use. Rice grown with drip irrigation not only
outproduces conventional paddy rice, but also uses 70% less water, diminishes methane emissions to
almost zero, and reduces arsenic uptake by up to 90%. Moreover, Drip irrigation eliminates evaporation,
run-off and percolation.

Implementation of water policy

Pakistan has had its first water policy in April 2018.

Dr Banuri, the chairman of the Higher Education Commission and the founding executive director of the
Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), has highlighted some shortcomings in the policy. He
mentions that there is an absence of a sustained scientific basis for the policy, the neglect of
environmental and water quality issues, the lack of clear quantitative or qualitative targets to be
achieved through the implementation of this policy and the absence of a clear reference to the SDG
agenda, especially the water-related targets to which Pakistan has agreed for 2030.

Moreover, rural water supply and sanitation has not been adequately covered in the policy. Missing
substantiated data on water flows, ground water extraction and water consumption of municipal,
agriculture and industrial sector supply has not been adequately covered in the policy

The water policy should be revisited after taking all stakeholders on board and involve farmers, water
experts and academia and other stakeholders to maximize the legitimacy of democratic decisions.

Construction of Dams and Reservoirs

Dams are backbone for the irrigation system of any country, without which the irrigation system
would collapse. Furthermore, dams provide electricity generation through clean and renewable energy,
which will help reduce perennial issue of power shortage in Pakistan.
 Pakistan has a total of 155 dams compared to the 5102 dams in India. The combined storage
capacity of both Tarbela and Mangla is almost 14 maf and can store water only for 30 days, whereas
India can store water for 190 days.

Buldings dams are indispensable at this stage where the country is heading towards acute
shortage of water. The authorities at the top level need to act expeditiously as time is running fast and
the country is closing towards disaster.

Apart from Momand and Basha dam, the government should focus on construction of dams in other
parts of the country which would help save water during rainy season and its use during shortage. The
dams would help control floods and irrigate large areas where water cannot be provided currently.

Conservation awareness

In June 2021, it was the first time that ground water in Lahore city had stopped depletion since
1980. This was due to the effective water recycling policies of the government through new aquifer
charges, underground rain storage and timed well pumping. If this kind of policy is implemented in other
provinces, the aquifer would replenish decreasing chances of water scarcity in those areas.
A regulatory authority should be setup for service stations and tube wells that use water
extravagantly. The authority should be mandated to devise rules for water pumping by setting up time
for pumping or devices which would measure water flow.

Conclusion
Pakistan’s water stress is projected to increase in the next few years. Climate change resulting in
prolonged droughts in some regions like Balochistan, erratic weather patterns, frequent flooding, a
shrinking winter season and heatwaves in cities like Karachi is aggravating the situation. Dams may be
important to trap floodwaters for future use in years of scarcity. But they are not the solution to our
stressed water economy. Pakistan remains one of the top three water-intensive countries in the world.
This means we can overcome water shortages significantly by conserving this depleting resource
through reduction in its wasteful use, especially by farmers, who are the largest users of water.
Additionally, the water accord needs to be renegotiated to secure the independent buy-in of all
provinces.

Times are getting serious and fierce. This is no time for half measures, and vain attempts to
safeguard vested interests. Nature’s fury is indifferent to our politics; we might not be able to arrest its
vengeance, but we surely can do a better job adapting to it.