Water crisis in Pakistan

Table of contents
1.Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….02
2.keywords…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….02
3.introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………….02
4.Research questions……………………………………………………………………………………………..03
5.Research objectives…………………………………………………………………………………………….03
6.literature review………………………………………………………………………………………………….04-05
7.findings……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….06
8.Analysis………………………………………………………………………………………………………………06
9.Research methodology……………………………………………………………………………………….06

Lists of tables
Question 01………………………………………………………………………………………………07
Question 02………………………………………………………………………………………………07
Question 03………………………………………………………………………………………………07
Question 04………………………………………………………………………………………………08
Question 05………………………………………………………………………………………………08
Question 06………………………………………………………………………………………………08
Question 07………………………………………………………………………………………………09
Question 08………………………………………………………………………………………………09
Question 09………………………………………………………………………………………………09
Question 10………………………………………………………………………………………………10
Abstract

The report will cover the history, causes and consequences of water crisis in Pakistan. It was a
problem in the past and it is still prevailing as important issue. This research will discuss the
major issues leading towards water crisis in Pakistan because this crisis is leading slowly towards
barren and dry lands in Pakistan. The paper will argue the possible factors of the water crisis that
has alarmed a large number of people living in Pakistan. How climate change has led to dried
rivers and melting glaciers, apart from many other causes that are responsible for the lack of
land irrigation and also responsible for constant floods which wreaks a lot of damage. It also
includes the main factor which is the constant growth of population that increases demand for
water even more. This research also describes the possible solutions that can help in preventing
the water crisis from expanding further in the country. Possible measures are elaborated to
increase water reservoir to meet the needs of the increasing demand for water across Pakistan in
present as well as in future.

Keywords: water crisis, dams, Indo-Pak conflict on water, canal system

Introduction

Water is an essential component and a basic necessity for all living things. It is utilized in a lot of sectors
like industries, agriculture, fulfilling human needs and other living beings. Water crisis not only means
the shortage of water for drinking purpose rather it also includes the deficiency of water where it is
required. A large quantity of water is utilized by industrial and agricultural sectors as well. Water
become a building block for all living things and without it no on can live. It is crucial component on the
plane earth for the continuation of life of every specie. In ancient time water was mostly used for only
drinking purpose but gradually people changed their way of living and the need and demand of water
also increased. People started farming and pronged to agriculture that require water in large quantity.
People not stopped at this point rather they moved toward industrialization where large amount of
water is used for cooling purpose and for the production of energy. With the passage of time, human
population also increased and the demand of water for drinking purpose also increased. In Pakistan the
situation is alarming, though Pakistan has large glacier resources but facing problem of water crisis. The
number of demand and supply imbalance are creating problems and challenges on domestic level,
agricultural and industrial level as Pakistan water reservoir mainly depend on Indus River. According to
IMF report, Pakistan is included in those countries who face water stressed throughout the year.
According to the Pakistan council of research in water resources, 40% Pakistani don’t have access to
clean water for drinking purpose. Pakistan is facing shortage of water in all sectors including drinking
purpose. It is also estimated that in 2040 Pakistan will become most shortage country in the world. The
rapid increase in population is leading towards escalated demand of water.

Shortage of water in different sectors

1) Drinking purpose
 Water is a basic need of life. As the population of living beings increases, the demand of water
supply also increases. It will lead to water crisis due to high demand of water.
2) Agriculture sector
As Pakistan is agricultural country, the economy of Pakistan mainly depends of products of
agriculture such as wheat, rice and cotton. All these products require water in very large
amount. Due to their high demand of water and limited supply of water lead toward the water
crisis.

3)industrial sector

Gradually with the passage of time, the number of industries is increasing. Industries get water in large
amount for different purposes such as for cooling effect, to produce energy etc.,

Research Questions

I)how water crisis in Pakistan can be overcome?

ii)what is the main factor behind water crisis in Pakistan?

iii)what is the consequences of water crisis in Pakistan?

Research Objective

i) To highlight the causes of water crisis.

ii) To provide the best solution of the problem-water crisis
iii) To know the difficulties, face by people due to shortage of water

Statement of the problem

water crisis is going to be a big issue in coming years for Pakistan. The shortage of drinking clean water is
becoming critical with the passage of time. Water crisis also affect agricultural products due to which
economy of Pakistan also declines.

Literature Review
Naser I. Faruqui (2004) claims that Pakistan has affected by too much water shortage, flooding and
declining water reservoirs. Using water properly is a necessary but it is insufficient strategy. The idea for
managing the water crisis is suggested that includes decline population growth, high literacy rate, using,
agricultural reform for less consumption of water, and relations with India and construction of dams.
According to the united nation, Pakistan is becoming a water stressed country (1,680 cubic meters per
capita a year) around the year 2003. According to a government resource, Pakistan reached 1,680 cubic
meters in 1992 and became a water-short country, and then decreased further to 1,400 cubic meters in
2004. Water crisis (1,010 cubic meters per capita per year) is expected in about 2035. However, a United
Nations Development Program source gives Pakistan’s current water availability is 1,090 m3 per capita
per year. Pakistan is one of the most water stressed countries in the world. The condition is moving
towards the more water scarcity due to Indian construction of dams on western rivers water. Pakistan
relies on a single river basin that is Indus River. The dependence on a single river system means it has
little of the strength that most countries enjoy by having more than one river basins and adversity of
water resources. The northern and western parts of the subcontinent are facilitated by the Indus Basin.
The Indus River comes from near Mount range Tibet and thereafter it flows to the West, eventually
running into Arabian Sea the last south part of Pakistan. The total area of Indus basin, the area draining
the Himalayan water into the Arabian Sea, is about 358 110 square miles. Indus basin includes two
countries, Pakistan and India. In Pakistan, the sedimentary plains of the Indus basin cover about 25
percent of the land are of Pakistan, with Punjab and Sind the most agriculturally important provinces. In
India, the basin includes only 9.8 percent of the total are of the country. On the Indian side, the upper
part of basin includes Jammu and Kashmir and Himachel, while the bottom part covers the area of
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. Given the importance of this basin, the division of this basin has become
a source of significant controversy. after the independence in 1947, the dispute became an international
issue between Pakistan and India. After the division of Pakistan and India, political boundary between
two countries was drawn right across the Indus Basin. It left Pakistan as the bottom riverine while
making India as an upper riverine. India was therefore given the physical capacity to cut off vital
irrigation water from large and valuable tracts of agriculture land in Pakistan and it will create a water
crisis in Pakistan. (Rauf, 2010)

(Akbar, Ali, Dilawar, and Hassan, 2021) they explain the Causes of Water Crisis in Pakistan. From
sewerage problems to improper water supply, and from Dams to outdated Canal Systems, each has
contributed to the reality regarding water crisis which Pakistan is facing. There are also global warming
and climate problems which are yet another factor to the current situation. Wastage of water: This
problem has been lurking around for decades. First of all, is the wastage of water. People living in the
areas where the water supply is adequate, the people tend to waste a lot of water in those areas.
People tend to let the water flow on the streets as if they have extra water in the country. On other
hand in many regions of Pakistan there is no water available to people even to drink. The schedule of
water supply is not accurate and proper at all; the water is amply provided in few regions of each city
and while others suffer and they do not have any water to meets their daily necessities. Particularly in
summer season, there are more problems for people living in urban areas. Because when the proper
water supply is not available to them, they are forced to up fill water cans and drums. They often bring
tankers to fill their necessary containers with water. Rural areas have more severe troubles than urban
areas because they have limited water supply. Some reside on the drylands where hope for water is
impossible. The rural areas can hardly store water for themselves at this point as there is no proper
reservoir built-up by the government in those areas, most people rely on the wells they have made to
meet their water requirements but the sad reality is that the wells are also going dry in many areas due
to less rainfall in recent times. Old water pipes throughout the country which cause the leakage of water
are also one of the main reasons of water shortfall. The one big culprit that has come forward in recent
times is the Water mafia in Pakistan that is trying to take control of the waters. They are responsible for
stealing water, cutting off supplies to the people by destroying the water supply lines so that the people
are unable to get water through pipelines laid by the government and the people are forced to buy
water tankers. It is said that 30% of the water supply has been lost because of water thefts and leakages.
The people continue to suffer worse from this situation. Irrigation System, On The other hand, Pakistan’s
agricultural lands also consume most of the water from its canal system which is believed to be utilized
poorly. Making mechanism and maintenance are also not effective and inadequate. It also contributes to
record low production of crops per acre in Pakistan. The outdated system and insufficient drainage have
led to the current situation. Mis manage of water and over-exploitation of groundwater is another
factor. These mis use of water are preventing people from having clean water in different regions.
Irrigation system is poorly governed and the system has become outdated due to absence of periodic
maintenance. Due to it, the production of agricultural products and food items are declining in their
quantity. Crops and fields do not receive pure water preventing them from growing or letting them wilt
and die due to unavailability of water and also it is bringing a decrease in the agricultural development
of the country. Pakistan is an agricultural country and most of its economy is largely based on
agriculture. So, no water means no agriculture or crops. The Government has not taken any effective
measures to prevent Pakistan from falling into its current state. Bringing its water supply and rich lands
of water to an inevitable fate. The earlier governments have also completely ignored this issue and such
issues have not been resolved since many decades. Storage capacity of dams: Heading into the current
state, the water crisis has reached its breaking point. As the Dams are storing water less than their
estimated capacity. The two major reservoirs of Pakistan, namely the Tarbela and Mangla dams have
recently reached their record low. The India is not fulfilling its responsibilities that Indus Water Treaty
has administered upon both countries. Moreover, India is also showing a sense of selfishness in
providing water through its rivers to Pakistan. Pakistan’s per capita availability of water has decline to
1017 cubic meters, which is too much less than that of 1570 cubic meters in 2009 (Baloch, 2018). The
construction of new dams, namely the Diamer Basha and Mohmand dam, is also under construction in
recent years. The water crisis has reached its level of intensity and the dams have not been ready yet.
Without them, where will the water be stored if there are not enough dams in Pakistan. Climate Change:
Climate Change has also affected the current situation as well. Extreme heat, melting glaciers and the
gas emission has contributed in the water crisis. Due to the growing population and migration, the
supply of water has also begun to diminish over time. Since more people come towards urban areas and
big cities, more water is required. Largely in Apartments, the water supply is difficult to utilize due to the
large number of people residing in the same building. The rivers of Pakistan are also drying due to the
climatic conditions and global warming of the country. Punjab, which consists of five rivers that
contribute to the water supply of the country, is the most affected area. The Indus River is also
continuing to dry every year which is also known for the birth of several civilizations. When these rivers
have already dried up, then the other rivers are also at risk. Due to extreme hot weather, they are also
drying every year which will leave them with no fresh water at all. India has made it clear that they will
decrease the supply of water coming to Pakistan from their side as they have to build a reservoir to
overcome their water shortage and water crisis. Pakistan is also deprived of the supply it had from one
of the largest rivers in the world. Furthermore, the recent Indian intentions of building “chain of dams”
on Pakistani (western) rivers have once again posed a serious challenge for Pakistan (Iqbal, 2010). On
the other hand, India is also responsible for the poor utilization of water from the river. UN reports are
suggesting that Pakistan is going to become a water scarce country in near future. Moreover, IMF has
also ranked Pakistan at the third number among those states facing the water shortage problem.

Findings
The following data is collected through online survey at Nationla university of modern science.
This survey covers the reasons and solution of water crisis in pakistan.
Analysis
The survey that was conducted online based on limited number of respondents. Majority of
respondents thing that lackin of dams in paksitan in one of the main reason behind water crisis.
While minor people belive that outdated canal system improper consumption of water lead to
water crisis in pakistan.
Methods Mathedology
I have conducted a report on water crisis in pakisan. To find the causes and reasosn of water
crisis, different methods are used such as questionaire and interviews of students to collect
data. Graphs and piecharts are mentioned on the base of given data by respondents.
Conclusion
Water is a crucial component on the planet earth for living things and without it no one can live.
Gradually with the increase in population of living things on the earth the requirement of water also
increased. In Pakistan, the requirement of water is too much as compare to its availability so therefore it
causes shortage of water. There are many reasons behind the shortage of water in Pakistan. Major
cause of water crisis in Pakistan is lacking of dams due to will water becomes short for drinking purpose
as well as for agricultural purpose. The outdated canal system also puts its role in water crisis. Due to
inadequate technology and modern methods Pakistan waste large amount of water and the water
drains into Arabian sea. On the base of research question and survey it can be said that lacking of dam is
major cause of water crisis in Pakistan. But some steps can be taken to overcome the water crisis and its
consequences. Construction of dams, improvement of canal system and making of large reservoir can
overcome the water crisis in Pakistan

References
Prof. Dr. Muqarrab Akbar, Shoaib Ali Khan, Shumaila Dilawar, Dr. Muhammad Tahir Hassan. (2021). WATER CRISIS IN
PAKISTAN: PROSPECTS AND IMPLICATIONS. PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt / Egyptology, 18(1), 4884-4892.

Iqbal, A.R(2010). Water shortage in Pakistan- a crisis around the corner. ISSRA Paper, vol ll issue ll

Brennan, James F. 2008, The China-India-Pakistan Water Crisis: Prospects for

Interstate Conflict, defense technical information center, pg.73-77.

Nasir.I Faurqui, 2007, correspondence to the water crisis in Pakistan

international journal of water resources development, volume 20, pg.177-192.