Pakistan May Face Extreme Water Drought by 2025

Experts warn that Pakistan could be heading towards severe water scarcity in the near future, by 2025 to be specific.

1990 saw Pakistan reach the “water stress line.”  If that wasn’t enough, the water level continued to fall till it crossed the “water scarcity line” in 2005 as reported by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR).

The country’s media was informed about the situation by an informed government source. The source further added that shortage of funding was slowing down the process of finding a viable solution to this issue.

Even though Pakistan ranks 4th on the list of most water consuming countries, but it still depends on the Indus River as its sole source for water consumption. According to experts a decline in rainfall in the region has been witnessed due to climate change.

The largest city of Pakistan, Karachi, is home to about a million people. However, only a small number out of these million have access to running water, after the land dries up, with the remainder having to stand in lines for hours just to get basic supplies.

Ex-chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), Shamsul Mulk, claimed that Pakistan did not have a proper water policy and that those in charge of making policies were like “absentee landlords” over water.

Shamsul Mulk claimed:

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

Experts blame the high growth rate of population along with massive urbanization as major causes behind this water shortage. Some also blame the authorities in charge of managing the water resources along with climate change.

Irfan Choudhry, energy sector expert, believes a lack of willingness from the authorities to solve this issue is present as well.

Mr Choudhry also states:

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.

Politicians believe that corruption in the water sector has led to this due to those who aim to profit from scarcity of such a basic and necessary resource.

Some also suggest that India is behind this shortage and blame New Delhi for not upholding clauses of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 which aims at the regulation of water from rivers of both states.


  • Pakistan could be better if punjab stop claiming their rights over everything. I will give two examples.
    1. Ghazi barotha dam is in kpk but generation turbines are just 500meters inside punjab so the royalty is claimed by punjab.
    2. Kalabagh dam will be in kpk but the generation turbines will be just 1 kilometer inside punjab and thus punjab will claim royalty.
    Punjab is already stealing electricity off the qouta allocated to kpk from tarbela dam.

  • Media play a great role to highlight the economical issue. This issue should be raised by media to make this issue serious on TOP priorities by Govt of Pakistan, There is need of spreading the awareness to public to support this upcoming disaster as a Holy Cause by Media. May God Bless Us.

  • No issue, weise bhi population bohot high hai
    10-15 Million loog jub marain ge, phir “Shaid” logon ko aqal ai gi

  • million people to Hamare Larkana main bhi hain……. agar karanchi main “a Million” people hain to phr Azad karachi Naara kyu lagata hai Altaf chacha!!? :/

  • پاکستانیوں کو تب عقل آتی ہے جب یہ پٹنے شروع ہو جاتے ہیں.
    ہر کسی کو صرف اپنی پڑی رہتی ہے.
    پاکستانیوں کے ساتھ اصل مسئلہ یہ ہے کہ وہ اپنے مسائل کا حل مذہب میں ڈھونڈتے ہیں. عقل کو مذہب کا تالا لگا کر آپ کبھی بھی خوش نہیں رہ سکتے.


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