A Crisis Brewing Beneath the Surface
Pakistan’s worsening water crisis is no longer a slow-moving challenge — it’s now an existential threat. The recent protests in Sindh over the allocation of six canals were a visible eruption of an issue that runs far deeper. At the international level, the country’s strong diplomatic stance against India’s illegal move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty underlines the crisis’s geopolitical magnitude.
Yet, the most alarming fact lies in the numbers: Per capita freshwater availability in Pakistan has dropped from 5,260 cubic meters in 1951 to around 900 today, and it’s expected to fall further to 560 cubic meters by 2050 — well below the water scarcity threshold.
Agriculture: The Biggest Waster
Agriculture consumes 93% of Pakistan’s available freshwater, compared to the global average of 70% and Europe’s 40%. But this isn’t efficiency — it’s waste.
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Sugarcane and cotton, two of Pakistan’s staple crops, account for over one-third of water consumption despite poor water productivity.
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Pakistan’s water productivity for sugarcane is 53.5% below the global average, and for rice, it’s just one-third of the global norm.
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Irrigated farming provides 90% of Pakistan’s food (compared to a global average of 40%) but suffers massive inefficiencies.
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25% water is lost before reaching the farm, and 30% of what remains is lost before reaching the plant’s roots.
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Meanwhile, outdated practices like crop inundation and unlined canals are leading to widespread salinity and waterlogging, especially in Upper Sindh, where half of the irrigated land is now compromised.
Abiana System: A Flawed Incentive Structure
The Abiana billing system is a central culprit in Pakistan’s agricultural water mismanagement. Based on cultivated area rather than actual usage, it gives farmers zero financial incentive to conserve water.
Even worse:
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Recovery is minimal — covering only 10% of water channel maintenance costs.
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The feudal elite, who control over 65% of agricultural land, often live lavishly while contributing negligibly to water conservation or cost recovery.
A Global Comparison: Grim Metrics for Pakistan
Water Use Efficiency (WUE) — measured in USD of value created per cubic metre of water — lays bare Pakistan’s dismal performance:
| Country | Overall WUE | Agricultural WUE |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 1.84 | 0.40 |
| India | 3.13 | 0.49 |
| China | 31.21 | 2.51 |
| Israel | 128.94 | 2.06 |
| Switzerland | 432 | 5.95 |
These numbers expose just how much economic value Pakistan wastes with every drop.
Unsurprisingly, Pakistan’s food-related imports have increased fivefold over the past 20 years, depleting foreign reserves and increasing dependency.
Industrial Impact: Untreated Effluents and Global Consequences
While agriculture dominates water use, industry — particularly textiles — plays a key role in polluting what little water is left.
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49% of industrial water use goes to the textile sector, yet few treat their wastewater.
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In Faisalabad, around 3.6 million cubic meters of effluent are dumped untreated into the Chenab and Ravi Rivers.
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With EU and US regulations tightening, particularly with the Digital Product Passport (DPP) model that mandates sustainability traceability, Pakistan risks losing access to its largest export markets by 2030.
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What Needs to Happen — And Fast
The water crisis demands a comprehensive reform agenda. Here’s what must be done:
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Secure Transboundary Water Flows Diplomatically
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Enforce India’s compliance with the Indus Waters Treaty through effective diplomacy, supported by robust economic ties with India and key global stakeholders.
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Initiate a formal Kabul River Treaty with Afghanistan to ensure sustainable use, especially for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s economy.
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Restructure Pricing and Regulation
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Adjust water pricing in the textile sector, where the current rate of $0.08/cubic meter is unsustainably low.
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Implement strict regulatory mandates on effluent treatment and water conservation, including penalty and reward systems.
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Reform Agricultural Water Use
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Replace area-based Abiana with volume-based billing, indexed to farm size and income.
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Transition away from water-intensive crops like sugarcane, rice, and cotton in favor of more sustainable alternatives.
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Replace inundation irrigation with drip and precision irrigation techniques.
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Incentivize the Wastewater Treatment Industry
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Facilitate investment in circular water economies, where wastewater is reused and treated.
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Leverage the $350 billion global water treatment market, expected to double by 2034, to build domestic capacity.
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Conclusion: The Last Margin Is Gone
Like Pakistan’s natural gas reserves, water is on the same path of mismanagement and depletion. But unlike gas, there is no alternative to freshwater. The country has already burned through every margin of safety, and delay is no longer an option.
This is not just an environmental crisis. It’s a national security risk, an economic chokehold, and an existential governance challenge. The time to act was yesterday. The price of further inaction is collapse.