Islamabad [Pakistan] December 10 (ANI): Pakistan is confronting a deepening water crisis, with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warning in its latest Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO) that more than 80 percent of the population still lacks access to safe drinking water despite limited gains over the past decade, Dawn reported.
The ADB found Pakistan’s water resources under severe stress from rapid population growth, climate change, and weak governance. The report highlighted widespread waterborne illness from unsafe supplies and extensive groundwater over-extraction for agriculture, causing depletion and arsenic contamination. Changing monsoon patterns, melting glaciers and repeated floods—including the catastrophic 2022 floods that displaced millions—have further strained water systems.
Per capita water availability in Pakistan fell from about 3,500 cubic metres in 1972 to roughly 1,100 cubic metres in 2020, approaching the threshold for absolute scarcity. While WASH programmes and pandemic-era health campaigns have improved hygiene in some areas, rural households still face unsafe water and inadequate sanitation. Urban water security and disaster preparedness have shown modest improvements, the ADB noted, but overall water governance remains hampered by inefficiency, institutional fragmentation and chronic underfunding.
The ADB reported Pakistan’s water governance score rose from 50 percent in 2017 to 63 percent in 2023, reflecting better policy frameworks but weak enforcement that undermines progress. The bank said the 2018 National Water Policy is ambitious but has struggled in the gap between planning and implementation.
The ADB urged Islamabad to activate the long-delayed National Water Council, adopt volumetric pricing, devolve authority to local bodies and strengthen environmental protections. It warned that without stronger institutions, sustainable financing and integration of climate resilience into water policy, improvements in water security will remain uneven and fragile, according to Dawn. (ANI)
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