Islamabad, April 30 — Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal outlined a comprehensive, multi‑dimensional strategy to confront Pakistan’s deepening water crisis, warning that mismanagement and scarcity have elevated the issue to a national security concern. Speaking at the “Roundtable Consultation on National Water Security” under the Uraan Pakistan initiative, he said the country is simultaneously coping with acute shortages and destructive floods, making prudent management as vital as supply.
Iqbal urged policymakers to move beyond rhetoric and forge a unified, science‑based water security framework that spans the federation, provinces, sectors and regions. He warned that external efforts to weaponise water have grown, increasing the country’s vulnerability, and stressed the need for national consensus and coordinated action.
A central weakness, he said, is limited storage: Pakistan can currently retain only about 90 days of water—well below international standards. To address this, Iqbal called for expanding storage capacity through a mix of large, medium and small dams, recharge and delay‑action dams, floodwater reservoirs, hill‑torrent management and urban rainwater harvesting. He argued these reserves should be regarded as essential to national survival, not a partisan issue.
On use efficiency, Iqbal noted agriculture consumes the bulk of Pakistan’s water but suffers from low productivity because of outdated irrigation practices. He proposed a national water efficiency and conservation mission to modernise irrigation—including laser land levelling, drip and sprinkler systems—deploy digital irrigation technologies, recycle wastewater and adopt transparent water accounting. He linked these technical reforms to policy measures on crop selection, subsidies and pricing, summarised by the principle of getting “more value per drop.”
The minister also raised the alarm about unchecked groundwater depletion, calling it a “silent lifeline” under threat and urging measures to protect and replenish aquifers.
Iqbal said any effective plan must be national, united, scientific and future‑proof to safeguard Pakistan’s water resources and national security. This report is based on a syndicated news feed.
