Dealing with looming water crisis: Pakistan

 According to the Asian Water Development Outlook (A-W D O) 2020, Pakistan has one of the highest risks associated with urban water security and one of the lowest risks associated with disaster risk management for water security in Asia.


Over 1,700 people were killed in the most recent devastating floods in 2022, and 33 million people lost their homes, crops, livestock, and means of subsistence. This tragedy has once more demonstrated how urgent it is to strengthen climate defenses in all Pakistan's major cities.


Urban water supply, quality, infrastructure, and management systems are under increasing pressure as a result of Pakistan's expanding population. Groundwater supplies approximately 70% of Pakistan's domestic water requirements in major cities, while more than 90% of freshwater is diverted for irrigated agriculture. Drinking water, sanitation, wastewater management, pollution, groundwater extraction, and climate change are just a few of the issues and requirements for water in urban areas.


Drinking water supply, sanitation, wastewater treatment and disposal, water conservation/reuse, groundwater management, disaster preparedness, and climate change are just a few of the areas where federal policies and regulations in Pakistan's twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad overlap and fall short of expectations.


Lack of policy coherence and sectoral harmonization are key issues and policy gaps; a general lack of accurate water data; a dearth of meaningful gender equity and inclusion in the implementation of policies; as well as a disjointed method of implementation that fails to take into account the significance of the private sector and civil society. Water needs and usage must be effectively coordinated across sectors (environment, health, energy, agriculture, industry, city planning) in order to improve policy coherence. And with a comprehensive plan for implementation and a framework for monitoring these cities.


Poor water supply, sanitary conditions, and overexploitation of groundwater resources are just a few of the serious water-related issues facing the twin cities. The International Water Management Institute (I-W M-I) conducted a biophysical assessment of surface and groundwater resources. It found that groundwater levels in the twin cities are decreasing at an average rate of 1.7 meters per year. The quality of the water that people drink varies greatly, and in some places, industrial and hospital waste has tainted the water.


In the twin cities, numerous sources of potable water are unsafe for human consumption. Human development is hindered by these issues, which are directly linked to high rates of childhood stunting. Where there are limited water sources, women and children are particularly at risk. Installing groundwater recharge wells in the twin cities is a cost-effective, natural solution to this problem of declining groundwater


Climate-smart, nature-based, evidence-based, and contextual solutions are essential for building climate-resilient communities in the Twin Cities. The Australia Pakistan Water Security Initiative (A-P W-A S-I), a multi-year urban water resilience project funded by Australian Aid and implemented by WWF-Pakistan with the I-W M-I and Hydrology and Risk Consulting (H-A R C) as partners, works in two disadvantaged communities in the twin cities of F-A R-A S H and James Town to increase the community's resilience to climate change and other water-related shocks.


Several interventions have been implemented as part of the A-P W-A S-I, including the installation of 250 rooftop rainwater harvesting systems, water filtration plants throughout both towns, and community education on how to manage, use, and conserve urban water.


In order to learn how men and women view and deal with water issues in the selected urban communities, the project team conducted a comprehensive community water, sanitation, and hygiene (W-A S H) survey. Climate extreme events will continue to leave a trail of destruction in nations that can least afford them, like Pakistan, unless the international community invests more in science-based solutions, risk-proof infrastructure, and building national capacity. 


Groundwater recharge wells and rainwater harvesting systems are two successful examples of evidence-based technical and nature-based solutions that could help build climate-resilient communities in Pakistan at a low cost.

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