By Sardar Khan Niazi
In Pakistan, the warning bells about water scarcity are no longer distant echoes — they are blaring sirens. The signs are clear: parched fields, falling groundwater tables, drying rivers, and erratic urban water supply. Yet, as a nation, we continue to treat water as an infinite resource, wasting it with a sense of entitlement we can no longer afford. According to the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), Pakistan may face absolute water scarcity by 2025. That date has come and gone — and the situation has only worsened. With per capita water availability dropping below 1,000 cubic meters, we are now in the red zone. It is astonishing that despite this grim reality, we continue to squander water in our homes, fields, industries, and daily routines with barely a thought. Water waste begins at home. In urban households, taps are often left running while brushing teeth, washing dishes or cleaning cars. Leaking pipes are left unattended, and filtered drinking water is dumped when bottles are changed. There is little awareness about conservation, and even less effort to build a culture of responsible consumption. The affluent in gated communities run fountains, overwater gardens, and install swimming pools while nearby low-income areas go dry for days. Agriculture, which uses over 90% of our freshwater, is plagued by inefficient irrigation techniques. Flood irrigation — a method where fields are literally flooded — is still the most common practice in Pakistan, despite its proven inefficiency. Crops like sugarcane and rice, which require enormous quantities of water, are grown in areas least suited for them. The lack of drip irrigation, poor canal maintenance, and absence of water pricing mechanisms means that water is treated as free — and what comes free is often wasted. Industrial water usage, too, remains unchecked. Many factories discharge untreated wastewater into rivers and canals, contaminating what little is left for downstream users. Urban water utilities lose an estimated 30-40% of water to leakage and theft, with no accountability or incentive to fix these systemic failures. Climate change is compounding the crisis. Glaciers are melting faster than anticipated, monsoon patterns are shifting, and droughts are becoming more prolonged and severe. Yet our policy response remains reactive at best. The Kalabagh Dam debate resurfaces occasionally, only to be politicized and shelved. Meanwhile, smaller-scale water storage projects, rainwater harvesting, and public awareness campaigns remain underfunded and under-prioritized. We must urgently rethink our relationship with water. First, the government must enforce water metering and pricing in both urban and rural areas to curb wasteful consumption. Subsidies for efficient irrigation systems like drip and sprinkler technologies should be expanded, and crop zoning must be strictly implemented so that water-thirsty crops are restricted to water-abundant regions. Second, urban infrastructure needs an overhaul. Leaking pipes must be fixed, rainwater harvesting made mandatory for large buildings, and treated wastewater should be reused where possible. Municipalities must be empowered and held accountable for managing water sustainably. Third, education and awareness are crucial. Conservation must be taught in schools, reinforced by media campaigns, and modelled by public institutions. A culture of water stewardship must be built — one that treats water not as a limitless commodity, but as a precious, life-sustaining resource. Finally, we must depoliticize water and treat it as the national security issue it is. Without clean, accessible water, there is no food security, no public health, and no economic stability. Water is life — but in Pakistan, it is draining away before our eyes. It is not too late to reverse course, but time is running out. We must stop squandering water, not just to survive, but to secure a future worth living in.
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