Water Crisis in Pakistan: A Wake-Up Call I Scarcity, Climate Change & Policy Failure

PIDE hosted an insightful seminar on Water Security in Pakistan, featuring Basharat Ahmed Saeed, Senior Water Specialist at The World Bank Group, Pakistan. In this talk, Mr. Saeed discusses the critical issues surrounding water management, sustainability, and policy challenges that Pakistan faces in the wake of climate change and growing water scarcity. Key Topics Covered: The current state of water resources in Pakistan Challenges in water distribution and access Policy frameworks and institutional roles Strategies for sustainable water management The role of international organizations in water security #WaterSecurity #Pakistan #PIDE #WorldBank #ClimateChange #Sustainability #Development #WaterManagement #Seminar Water scarcity is a frightening situation that is already happening in #Pakistan. The country ranks 14 among the 17 ‘extremely high #water risk’ countries of the world, a list that includes hot and dry countries like Saudi Arabia. Over 80 percent of the total #population in the country faces ‘severe water scarcity’ for at least one month of the year. In addition to surface water, Pakistan’s groundwater resources—the last resort of water supply—are severely overdrawn, mainly to supply water for irrigation. If the situation remains unchanged, the whole country may face ‘water #scarcity’ by 2025. The situation is strategically more complicated, as #Pakistan is the lower riparian country to #India and 78 percent of its water inflows from therein. Moreover, only two-thirds of available water is being utilized while one-third of the water is either lost or discharged into the sea. Cities in Pakistan are increasingly faced with problems of erratic supply of piped water and unsafe and declining levels of #groundwater. Additionally, over one-third (35 to 40 percent) of piped water is wasted through leakages and theft in the water distribution networks. By 2050, the country’s #urban population is expected to double in size (from 81 million in 2022 to 160 million in 2050 or from 37.7 percent of the total population to 52.2 percent) (see table 1). Providing water for these citizens is a challenging task; finding #money to pay for the provision of that water is at least as daunting. Urban water tariffs are low and infrequently adjusted, even with current efforts at #reform. For Further Details Please Visit: @PIDEOfficial www.pide.org.pk    / pideofficial     / pidepk     / pideislamabad     / pidepk     / pidepk