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1. Introduction
A number of South Asian countries have been faced with water issues but Pakistan
has been affected the most. The nation is currently confronted with a serious water
crisis. This becomes even more clear when we consider that at the time of
independence, Pakistan had almost 5,000 cubic meters of water per person, a
number that has now gone down to only 1,000 cubic meters per person.
All our major cities are receiving less water than they actually require. However,
our rulers seem unfazed by these developments. In fact, our water crisis can mainly
be attributed to the indifference of our politicians, who only presented a proposed
solution to this long-standing issue in April of this year.
Every one of our major cities is facing a severe water shortage. According to a
recently published report by Wapda, regarding the daily water requirement of our
major cities, the figures stated were as follows: Islamabad needs 176m gallons per
day but is only receiving 84m gallons, Karachi needs 1,100m gallons per day but is
receiving 600m gallons, Peshawar needs 250m gallons but is receiving 126m
gallons, Lahore needs 696m gallons but is receiving 484m gallons, Quetta needs
45m gallons but is receiving 28m gallons and, lastly Gwadar needs 17m gallons
but is only receiving 12m gallons.
There is a debate going on these days over the construction of the Kalabagh Dam.
However, by only focusing on water development via construction of dams,
reservoirs and similar structures we basically downplay our need for focusing on
water governance.
The Problems of Water
We should understand that we allocate a huge chunk of our water to the agriculture
sector, where almost 60 percent of water is wasted before it reaches the fields.
Likewise, on average, we waste almost 40 gallons of water on washing a single car
and almost a gallon every time we brush our teeth.
We need a governance policy that eliminates this unnecessary waste.
Reduced and sudden release/blockage of water from India, under unilateral
interpretations of Indus Waters Treaty, also worsens the situation. This directly

2. adds to water insecurity, food insecurity, energy insecurity and acuteness of
vulnerability of the already vulnerable population.
In Pakistan the attempt to raise living standards of citizens has meant that
economic development has largely taken precedence over environmental issues.
Unchecked use of hazardous chemicals, vehicle emissions and industrial activity
has contributed to a number of environmental and health hazards, chief among
them being water pollution. Much of the country suffers from a lack of potable
water due to industrial waste and agricultural runoff that contaminates drinking
water supplies.
The statistics show that there is a close link between poor quality of water and
health risk. In Pakistan, diarrheal diseases are estimated to kill 200,000 children
under the age of five years (548 per day) due to contaminated water. The cost to
the economy due to diarrhea is estimated at Rs55-80 billion per year.
There are no clear guidelines, rules or regulations for groundwater/fresh water
abstraction, which results in depletion of ground water resources in the country.
In addition to this, provision of safe water to inhabitants seems to be a low
priority for successive governments.
Even in presence of policies like National Water Policy (draft), National Drinking
Water Policy (draft), National Environment Policy, etc, there is no clear strategy
to implement them. Experts believe that rising water conflicts is more of a
governance issue. If we want to save Pakistan, then we must save our water
resources by resolving our governance issues.
Saving Of Water
Water is God gifted natural resource; our body is 90 per dependent upon it. Water
pollution or water shortage is the biggest problem facing Pakistan now days.
Pakistan is an agricultural country and its economy depends on agriculture; our
villages are facing this problem of water scarcity for the last several years. People
travel miles for the sake of water. Not in villages but also in cities like Karachi,
Lahore and Islamabad water is polluted and not available. People of Karachi are
facing severe shortage of water.
Every year floods destroy our crops and villages. If government makes new dam,
we can save that water for irrigation, electricity and for drinking. 40 % deaths are

3. attributed to drinking polluted water that brings different diseases in human beings,
like diarrhoea typhoid, hepatitis, as the sanitation problem is the biggest problem.
A collective approach is needed; citizens and individuals must engage with
decision makers across the board in responsible use of water. Industries and
corporations must move to pollution control. Now it’s time to take action.
About 80% of Punjab has fresh groundwater, with some saline water in the south
and in desert areas. In Sindh, less than 30% of groundwater is fresh. Much of the
province is underlain by highly brackish water. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,
increasing abstraction has led to wells reaching saline layers, and much of
Balochistan also has saline groundwater.
The quality of water in federal capital Islamabad and adjacent city Rawalpindi is
no better than the rest of the country. A survey carried out by the National
Institute of Health (NIH) revealed that 75% of water in Islamabad and 87% in
Rawalpindi are unsafe for human consumption.
Protecting the quality and availability of clean drinking water resources is
becoming the most critical of many environmental challenges for Pakistan.
Pakistan has, in essence, exhausted its available water resources and is on the
verge of becoming a water-deficit country.
Needs of water
Recently, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR)
delivered a grave warning: if the government does not take action, the country
will run out of water by 2025. Severe water scarcity is already having a negative
impact on the country’s public health and the economy. Over 80 percent of water
supplied is considered unsafe, and water scarcity and water-borne diseases are
resulting in a loss of up to 1.44 percent of GDP.
Approximately 95 percent of Pakistan’s water is used for agriculture, with 60
percent of its population directly involved in agriculture and livestock, and 80
percent of exports based on these sectors. Despite having the world’s largest
glaciers, Pakistan is among the world’s 36 most water-stressed countries. As the
population rapidly increases, water demand is projected to far outstrip supply. As
this happens—coupled with strained relations with the country’s neighbors over
Tran’s boundary water resources—the water crisis is posing a threat to the

4. country’s future security, stability, and sustainability. Immediate coordinated
planning and implementation is required to avert disaster.
The problem of water shortage in Pakistan has gained the momentum as our water
storage capacity is only for 30 days, and Pakistan has the 4th highest rate of water
use in the world. It simply means that water intensity rate – the amount of water in
cubic meters used per unit of GDP is the world highest and no country’s economy
is more water intensive than that of Pakistan.
With increasing population and depleting water resources, the country is fast
heading towards water shortage and threat of famine. Fresh storages, therefore,
have to be created by building dams to replenish the lost capacity and save the
agricultural economy from total disaster, and produce food grains for rapidly
increasing population.
Wastage of Water
People waste water in their homes without even realizing it. We have become so
accustomed to have a 24-hour supply of water that we sometimes forget that we do
not have an infinite supply of water. We must also learn how to save our water
supply.
In some countries, both ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ ones, strict monitoring of
water usage is a way of life and the watering of lawns and gardens routinely is
banned in times of shortage. It is quite feasible to install state-of-the-art recycling
systems by which all household water, including sewage water, is rendered fit for
garden and lawn use. Larger versions of the same systems should also be installed
at schools, colleges, universities, hospitals and in all other buildings, including
businesses where large volumes of water are used on a daily basis. The water thus
collected, if the particular building does not have its own lawns or gardens on
which to utilize it, could then be ‘harvested’ by specially designated tankers or
specifically designed pipelines to be used for cultivation purposes elsewhere. Such
a system, especially if linked to rainwater harvesting systems, would go to an
incredibly long way to ensuring that the countries’ citizens never have to live with
the worry of taps running dry.
There are numerous ways you can save water. You can purchase water efficient
products and install them. This means you can fix and forget. You can install the

5. product, and you don’t have to alter your behavior in anyway. However, there are
also things that you can do for free which save water.
Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth – a running tap wastes 6 liters of water
a minute. Though the shower may be more fashionable and convenient, bathing
with a bucket is truly a great way to save water.
Why can we not use a glass of water when brushing our teeth instead of letting
water run for the duration of the brushing? These are small things, but like the
brushing example, a change in how we go about doing them can have, over large
number of people, a significant impact on the environment, our energy needs as
well as the ground water levels in places where we live.
Dealing with waste water, even in rivers and streams, is having large impacts on
the environment and this will, in turn, have consequences for all of us. But even
though we are starting to see strains here and there, and we talk of trying to ensure
that India does not make it difficult for us to get water by building dams on the
rivers that flow to Pakistan from India, we are not doing anything for water
management.
Obstacles In The Way Of Water Saving
Water is the most important element necessary for human beings, animals, insects,
plants and for earth as a whole. Sources of water available in Pakistan are rainfall,
surface water available in rivers and underground water.
After the Indus Basin Treaty with India, water of only two rivers i.e. Jhelum and
Chenab is available to Pakistan while the availability of water in the remaining
three rivers i.e. Ravi, Sutlej and Bias depends on the will of India.
The construction of dams and barrages by India over River Chenab and River
Jhelum in violation of the Indus Basin Treaty created the problem of water
shortage for Pakistan which is becoming more and more severe with the passage of
time. According to the UNO Report, Pakistan is at the 7th position in the list of
countries, which are facing water crisis. Presently, Pakistan has a surface water of
153 MAF and underground water resources of only 24 MAF and Pakistan may
face water shortage of 33 MAF during the year, 2025.
The population of Pakistan is increasing at a rate of 3.2%. Presently, we have to
feed more the 200 million people and if population increase rate remains the same,
then it will be almost double by the year,2025 and hence, the consumption of the

6. underground water will also add to the problem which will be further aggravated
due to factors such as global warming and other climate changes.
According to a research study on water resources of Pakistan, approximately water
having economic values of $70 billion is being thrown into sea every year due to
non-construction of water reservoirs. A water starved country, which has the
foreign reserve of only $20 billion, can’t afford throwing water of economic value
of $70 billion every year into sea.
Study of Pakistan Counsel of Research on the water resources of Pakistan
(PCRWR) revealed that rapid depletion of ground water may soon worsen the
water crisis in Pakistan’s major cities, causing a drought-like situation. Such crisis
needs to be taken on war footings; otherwise, a large section of Pakistan’s
population, especially those living in big cities, will be facing severe shortage of
water.
Due to excessive pumping of underground water, the quality of underground water
is being contaminated rapidly with heavy metals like Copper, Nickel and Cobalt
etc, which are the causes of spread of Hepatitis in the people of Pakistan,
especially in those living in big cities.
As regards the remedial measures needed to overcome this horrible water shortage
in Pakistan,
Steps Required To Be Taken Immediately Include:
 Preparation of country's water policy;
 Construction of water reservoirs;
 National Action Plan to be formulated for judicious use of available water.
 Controlled over pumping of underground water and over irrigation practices.
 By increasing the water use efficiency of the crops by switching from
conventional agriculture to conservative agriculture.
 By adopting water use efficient methods of irrigation like Sprinkler, Basin
and Drip irrigation.

7. Water shortage
Such a crisis is inevitable in a country where political leaders are busy slinging
mud at each other in a lust for power while lacking vision. These leaders also
oppose the construction of new infrastructure for storing water. The fact that the
word “dam” has been made highly controversial and that its use often spurs heated
discussions between the constituent provinces aptly highlights Pakistan’s
predicament.
Pakistan is running out of fresh water at an alarming rate, and authorities anticipate
that it is likely to suffer a shortage of 31 million acre-feet (MAF) of water by
2025. The shortfall will be devastating for a country with an agriculture-based
economy. Nearly 70 percent of the Pakistan’s population is directly or indirectly
associated with agriculture, which accounts for 26 percent of its gross domestic
product (GDP).
In Pakistan, the majority of agricultural land is irrigated, after accounting for
ground and rainwater, with fresh water from the IBIS. The IBIS is fed through two
major dams including Tarbela and Mangla, which since construction have lost
storage capacity due to enormous silt deposition. Both reservoirs are already
hitting a dead level and are unlikely to carry forward the required flow for the
summer crops.
Pakistan is storing less water among the available surface flows due to lack of
significant storage. And given the severely irregular water availability in rivers, the
lack of adequate storage at all levels make it practically impossible to stock the
priceless resource reasonably. However, the country receives a significant amount
of water from the monsoon spells that, if stored properly, could provide with a
sustainable irrigation system.
River flow did not improve during a brief rain spell in the early summer, and the
temperature also did not raise enough in the northern areas of the country to enable
the melting of snow. The country received 50 percent less snow this year than its
long-term average in the catchment areas, which further ads to the catastrophe.
Due to fewer water releases from the dams, farmers largely depend on
groundwater. This puts extra pressure on the aquifers. The majority of agricultural
production depends on underground water, which is not efficiently utilized causing
the water table to plummet at an alarming rate.

8. Furthermore, the farming community is wasting a tremendous amount of fresh
water by using outdated flood irrigation methods. About 95 percent of fresh water
is utilized for irrigation, and yet the country is achieving a lower per acre crop
production when compared to India and China in the region.
Exponential population growth in Pakistan has also dramatically changed the
calculus of water demand, resulting in reduced water availability per capita.
Populated cities like Karachi lack sound water management and are already facing
a Cape Town-like “day zero situation.”
Water is an absolutely critical part of our daily lives, yet we are forced to make do
with limited amounts of water due to immense shortages. Increasing demand for
water is pushing the country’s vulnerable system to its limits, as a result of which
the country faces a water shortage.
How to Improve the Water Resources in Pakistan?
However, the study also suggests that higher temperatures and growing population
will lead to a significant increase in water demand across Pakistan, adding to the
stress on our water system. In order to prevent disastrous consequences, we need to
significantly increase our focus on managing the increasing demand for water.
The water crisis is the writing on the wall and not hogwash. The snowcapped
mountain ranges of the country, the primary freshwater source, are not infinite. The
political leadership still has time to give attention to this pending catastrophe and
include it in their mandates for the upcoming polls.
The recently approved national water policy must be implemented both in letter
and in spirit for efficient water resource management. Furthermore, commissions
must be set up to monitor the efficient water resource management at all levels
frequently and to offer timely recommendations.
Pakistan needs to learn from countries with even less water but higher domestic
product (GDP) and better quality of life indicators such as Israel, a country right in
the middle of a desert that has been able to reuse effluent to irrigate about 40
percent of its agricultural land with sound political will, economic resources and by
employing the right technology.
There are several key steps that can and should be taken immediately to mitigate
the problem. The first integral step is to improve irrigation practices. The Indus
River irrigation system has large inefficiencies, and only about 30 per cent of the

9. water flowing through the system is delivered to farms while farmers at the tail end
of the system rarely get water.
We can improve these inefficiencies by ensuring that farmers use modern irrigation
practices to yield maximum production per unit of water used and the result is not
water logging. In the current scenario, the sprinkler or drip irrigation methods is
one of the most efficient ways to irrigate land. These systems save up to 70 percent
water as compared to conventional flood irrigation method which is currently in
use.
In addition to promoting high-efficiency irrigation systems among farmers with
small holdings, the next second step is to improve water management more
broadly. This can be done by enforcing regulations in a better way, as well as by
raising water prices and recovery rates. The revenues that are currently generated
are not enough to meet the operation and maintenance costs in terms of hiring
management staff and maintaining infrastructure. For instance, in Punjab, water is
charged at a meager flat rate of 85 rupees per cropped acre during summer (kharif
season) and 50 rupees per acre during the winter (rabbi season). As a result
revenue collection is only 68 percent of operation and maintenance expenditures.
This ratio between operation and maintenance cost and revenue collection is 80
and 77 percent in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa respectively.
A third critical step we can take is to urgently improve our water storage system.
Not much of the water flowing through the Indus River is being stored for future
use during the rabbi and drought season. The back-up supply of water is only
enough to last 30 days — dangerously far below the recommended 1,000 days.
According to the ministry of water and power, due to the non-availability of
enough storage facilities and sedimentation of existing reservoirs, approximately
25 to 30 MAF (million acre feet) of water flows into the sea annually against
approximately 10 MAF needed to flow downstream the Kotri barrage for
environmental needs. However, according to Dr Zaigham Habib, a consultant
working in the water sector, downstream Kotri flow in the last 10 years (2006-
2015) has decreased to 15-20 MAF. This extra water flowing into the sea can be
stored by building new reservoirs or upgrading the existing ones to make Pakistan
a water secure country.
The importance of taking steps to better manage our water cannot be overstated.
Pakistan’s population has increased four times since independence, and is expected
to grow to more than 300 million by 2050.

10. Pakistan needs a sound national water policy which delineates the framework for
balanced socio-economic development, management, and conservation of the
country’s water resources in an environment challenged by climate change.
Attempts over the years to update and approve a national water policy have failed
due to lack of priority and consensus among federating units, and the approval of
the 2002 draft national water policy has been delayed for a decade and a half.
If prioritized, water can serve as the engine of economic growth and regional trade
expansion. With agriculture being Pakistan’s major sector (constituting 20% of
GDP) and largest water consumer, it is estimated that even if a billion-dollar output
is achieved for every million acre-feet of water utilized for agriculture, the water
economy has the potential to increase total annual agricultural GDP to $200 billion
from its current $50 billion.
Pakistan needs to employ smarter and less water-intensive practices. The country
has seen its fair share of supply-side measures such as building mega hydro
projects and dams. The focus of the future reforms however should be on
improving water use efficiency especially in the agriculture sector which continues
to be the largest consumer of water while escaping taxation (or lightly taxed at the
provincial level).
Water is essential for human beings to survive and develop. At the same time,
water is a scarce commodity and shortage sometimes results in crisis. Both facts
lead to the simple conclusion that lack of water hinders development and a
dignified life.
Pakistan aspires to become one of the 10 largest economies in the world by 2047.
Given the importance of water to Pakistan’s economy, getting water resource
management right will be essential to realizing this goal. Water issues need to be
resolved expediently for the sake of peace and prosperity in the country. We owe
this to our future generations.

11. Conclusions
We need a plan of action to keep our system from buckling under the weight of
this growing water demand. By managing our existing water resources through
better irrigation practices and improving how we store water for future use, we can
make sure that every drop counts.
To achieve this goal, we need to spread awareness among the masses. We need to
teach the general public about water conservation, and the various techniques they
can use to save water. Moreover, we need to build dams.
According to Water Sector Investment Planning Study, Pakistan will face a
deficit of 12 million tons in total grain production in 2012-13 which is 31% of
projected target. Such large scale deficit cannot be bridged simply by improving
farming practices and technology. The irrigation supplies scenario, by the year
2012-13, would be critical, and it will become increasingly disastrous year-by-
year thereafter. Hence, there is an urgent need to save water and of more storage
dams.
It’s a challenge for the state to save water not only for agriculture but also for
human consumption and to meet the rising water demand in other social and
economic sectors. This demands improved water governance, management and
investment in scientific knowledge, all of which entail commitment and resources.
It’s time for decisive action.
The End

12. Presented By
Rebekah Samuel
BBA 5th
A
Assignment No 1
Topic
Discuss the problems of water, saving of water, needs of
water, wastage of water, and also discuss the obstaclesin
the way of water saving, water shortage and how to
improve the water resources in Pakistan?
Submitted To:
Sir Faiz Ahmad
Date 17, Oct 2018