- Water availability in KP drops to 679 cubic meters.
- Punjab records 760 cubic meters annually.
- Balochistan falls to 928 cubic meters.
Pakistan’s per capita water availability has declined sharply amid a growing population, the Ministry of Water Resources revealed in a report presented to the National Assembly on Monday.
“From 2017 to 2023, the population increased by 40 million, resulting in a reduction of 154 cubic meters per person in annual water availability,” the ministry stated in its findings.
According to the report, Pakistan’s population is projected to reach 288 million by 2030, and per capita water availability is expected to fall further to 795 cubic meters.
At the provincial level, the annual per capita water availability in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reduced to 679 cubic meters, while Punjab records 760 cubic meters and Sindh 1,169 cubic meters.
In Balochistan, the available water resources amount to 928 cubic meters per person, the report added.
The statistics on dwindling water resources come as the downstream riparian country is in a dispute with India over the Indus Water Treaty (IWT).
India unilaterally kept the IWT with Pakistan on hold in April this year following the killing of 26 people in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOK).
Water use between the two nations is governed by the IWT, which was mediated by the World Bank and signed by neighbors in September 1960.
There is no provision in the treaty for either country to unilaterally suspend or terminate the pact, which has clear dispute resolution systems.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain said the country was suffering from a 10-15% annual decline in agricultural production.
In a written response during the NA session, he warned that losses could reach up to 30% due to poor harvesting, handling, storage and transportation.
Hussain added that eliminating these losses could save Pakistan up to $1.8 billion each year, underscoring the magnitude of the economic impact on the agricultural sector.
According to the minister, the effects of climate change and inadequate transportation systems are among the main contributors to crop losses across the country.
