Pakistan’s Water Dilemma: Between Scarcity and Floods

"First we drowned, now we are dying of thirst." These haunting words, uttered by a Sindhi farmer in the midst of the 2022 floods, encapsulate Pakistan’s cruel irony. In a single year, a nation transitions from deluge to drought. That year, one-third of the country was submerged as villages vanished, crops drowned, and livelihoods were swept away. Yet, just months later, fields lay cracked, barren, and begging for irrigation.

This is not an isolated tragedy but a recurring national calamity in Pakistan. The World Bank warns that "Pakistan’s water crisis is not merely an environmental challenge; it is a fundamental threat to economic stability and human survival." The stakes are existential. In the words of a water expert “the wars of the next century will be fought over water, not oil.” For Pakistan, that war has already begun in fields, streets, and aquifers.

The Emerging Crisis of Water Scarcity

Water abundance seem assured when Pakistan was created in 1947. The Indus Basin provided vast irrigation potential, and per capita water availability was estimated at 5,260 cubic meters. Unfortunately, today, this figure has plummeted below 1,000 cubic meters which is the threshold for water scarcity according to the UN.

Several factors have driven this decline. Pakistan’s population now exceeds 240 million, tripling demand. Nearly 90–93% of freshwater is consumed by agriculture, yet outdated flood irrigation loses 50–60% of applied water. Meanwhile, over 1.2 million unregulated tube wells have caused aquifer depletion and salinity. Seasonal surface-water storage remains arrested at merely 30 days, compared to 170 days in India.

The effects are already manifesting. Household tap water in Karachi delivers only hours per week, forcing residents to pay exorbitant rates to tanker operators. Rural women trek miles for water, and contaminated supply contributes to widespread disease and death. As one report summed up: water scarcity in Pakistan is no longer future, it is now.

The Paradox of Flooding

Yet scarcity tells only half the story. Pakistan is among the most flood-prone nations, where monsoon rains and glacial melt regularly conspire to wreak havoc.

The 2010 floods engulfed a fifth of the country, affecting 20 million people and inflicting $10 billion in damages. The 2022 deluge was even worse and damages were estimated at nearly $15 billion, economic losses to $15.2 billion, and reconstruction needs to $16.3 billion. The floods claimed 1,739 lives, left over two million homes destroyed, and displaced eight million people.

In addition, ongoing monsoon flows have proven lethal again in 2025. Over 780 people, including 200 children, have died following rapid floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where villagers describe torrents moving in “seconds”. In Punjab, floods triggered by rising Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers have displaced over 28,000 people, and authorities have evacuated 150,000 more after dam-related warnings.

Why both Problems Persist Together

Pakistan’s chronic struggle with both drought and deluge stems from a profound mix of natural vulnerabilities and man-made failures. At the core is an almost total dependency on the Indus River system which accounts for over 90% of the nation’s water supply. Any deviation in its flow, whether from scarcity during drought or sudden inundation in the wet season, immediately threatens agricultural production, power generation, and the very survival of communities.

This fragile setup is further weakened by a glaring absence of water storage infrastructure. With few reservoirs, dams, or rainwater harvesting systems in place, the country is unable to retain surplus monsoon water allowing torrents to rush directly into the Arabian Sea, even as millions endure acute water shortages during the rest of the year.

Compounding the problem, environmental degradation runs unchecked. Deforestation in catchment areas accelerates runoff and siltation, undermining the ground’s ability to absorb rainfall and recharge aquifers. Moreover, encroachments on floodplains obstruct natural drainage, turning seasonal floods into long disasters of human and economic toll.

Governance complicates matters further. The division of water management between federal and provincial authorities has spawned fragmentation and policy paralysis. Too often, Pakistan finds itself reacting to disasters deploying relief after the flood rather than preventing them through proactive planning and investment.

Rapid, unplanned urbanization has delivered its own crisis in the form of urban flooding. In Karachi, natural waterways have been reshaped by unregulated expansion. Entire bazaars, parking lots, residential blocks, and even parts of a women’s college now sit atop stormwater drains. This has choked the city’s once-effective drainage system, turning monsoon rains into rivers inside streets and homes. As a scholar from Dawn noted, “Storm drains in Karachi no longer work well,” and the dumping of solid waste, sand mining, and elevated road construction only exacerbate the risk.

These systemic faults are currently playing out in Punjab’s river basins. In August 2025, unusually intense monsoon rains combined with upstream water releases led to torrents in the Ravi, Sutlej, and Chenab rivers. Over 150,000 people were evacuated, whole villages submerged, and critical roads and farmland devastated. The Army and civil authorities had to coordinate emergency evacuations.

Despite some evacuation successes, the human cost remains steep. This year hundreds of lives have been lost, infrastructure lies in ruins, and livelihoods have been shattered across KPK and Punjab’s heartland. The merging of natural intensity with systemic breakdowns clearly demonstrates that Pakistan's water crisis is both a climatic and governance emergency.

The Way Forward

Pakistan’s water crisis demands a phased response, beginning with urgent measures and extending into structural reforms. In the immediate term, authorities must scale up early warning systems and ensure drainage channels are cleared before the arrival of the monsoons. Swift action is also needed to support flood-affected farmers by providing drought-resistant seeds, fertilizers, and timely grants that can prevent households from slipping further into poverty.

Medium-term measures should focus on resilience at the community level. Building small to medium-sized dams, recharge wells, and village ponds will strengthen local water storage. Agriculture, which consumes the bulk of Pakistan’s water, must also evolve toward efficiency. Techniques such as drip irrigation and laser land leveling can save significant volumes, while shifting cropping patterns toward less water-intensive species will further ease pressure on scarce supplies. Institutionalizing rainwater harvesting across both rural and urban settings can recharge aquifers and reduce dependence on dwindling groundwater.

Over the long term, however, only structural reforms can safeguard Pakistan’s future. Integrated planning of the Indus Basin is essential to overcome provincial rivalries and foster cooperation. Rationalized water pricing can incentivize conservation, provided safeguards are built in to protect vulnerable communities.

At the same time, Pakistan must actively tap into international climate finance to fund resilience-building infrastructure, from glacier monitoring systems to modern irrigation networks. Yet reforms cannot succeed without a cultural shift. Public education, media campaigns, and even religious platforms must normalize water stewardship as a civic responsibility, instilling the idea that saving water is not simply an economic necessity but a moral and national duty.

Conclusion

Pakistan’s water dilemma is one of the gravest challenges it faces in the 21st century. With every passing year, water scarcity deepens, while floods become more destructive. Both crises feed into one another, exposing the weakness of infrastructure, governance, and planning.

Water is life. For Pakistan, learning to manage both its abundance and scarcity is not just a policy option but a matter of survival. This dilemma is not insurmountable. With smart investments, stronger institutions, and community engagement, Pakistan can transform its water management from a liability into an asset. The choice is urgent and stark: either continue swinging between parched fields and drowned villages, or chart a sustainable path toward a water-secure future.

In Pakistan water is not just a resource, it is the lifeblood of its food, livelihoods, and its sovereignty. The country’s future demands more than policy, it demands a national revival. Because in the end, it won't be just water at stake, it will be the fate of the nation.

Please note that the views expressed in this article are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of any organization.

The writer is Pakistan’s former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to FAO, WFP, and IFAD

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