Pakistan could face mass droughts by 2025 as water level nears 'absolute scarcity'

By Rachel Roberts

'What we see is political bickering over the issue. The authorities need to act now'.

Pakistan could face drought in the near future according to experts in the country, who have warned the country will approach the “absolute scarcity” level of water by 2025.

The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) made the grim forecast in a new report which claimed the country touched the “water stress line” in 1990 before crossing the “water scarcity line” in 2005.

An unnamed government official in the south Asian country told Pakistani media that urgent research is needed to find a solution – but warned of a lack of available government funds.

Pakistan has the world’s fourth highest rate of water use but is dependent on water from a single source – the Indus River basin in India – and rainfall has been steadily declining, with some experts claiming this is down to climate change.

An estimated million people live in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi – but very few have running water after the land has gradually dried up, forcing many residents to queue for hours for supplies to be given to them.

Shamsul Mulk, former chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority in the country, said water policy is simply non-existent in Pakistan. Policymakers act like “absentee landlords” over water, he added.

“Because of this absentee landlordism, water has become the property of the landlords and the poor are deprived of their share."

Experts say that population growth and urbanisation are the main reasons behind the crisis. Some say the issue has been exacerbated by climate change and poor water management.

Energy sector expert Irfan Choudhry said the authorities appear to lack the political will to tackle the problem.

“There are no proper water storage facilities in the country. Pakistan hasn't built new dams since the 1960s. What we see is political bickering over the issue. The authorities need to act now. We can store water for only 30 days, and it is worrisome,” Mr Choudhry told local media.

Some politicians have warned of “massive corruption” in the water sector with some seeking to profiteer from the scarcity of a vital resource. 

Others blame India for the Pakistani water crisis and claim that New Delhi is failing to uphold the terms of the Indus Waters Treaty brokered by the World Bank in 1960 which regulates control of the rivers between the two nations.