Expert says severe irrigation water shortages to threaten yields

PESHAWAR: An agricultural expert and former secretary Pakistan Tobacco Board (PTB) Khan Faraz has stated that Pakistan has been experiencing an escalating water crisis, driven by rapid population growth, climate change and mismanagement of resources.

“The immense population growth has placed pressure on natural resources, food security, and the most alarming consequence of this growth has been the diminishing availability of clean water for agricultural, industrial, and domestic use,” he opined while talking to The News.

Khan Faraz said that Pakistan being an agricultural country, agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy. Agriculture, he added, is the primary consumer of the country’s fresh water, accounting for approximately 97 per cent of the country’s total water usage.

“This sector contributes nearly 23 per cent to the national GDP and employs 42 per cent of the population. However, the growing water crisis is posing a severe threat to agricultural output,” the expert explained.Keeping recent data in mind, he said Pakistan is likely to face a 43 percent water shortfall in April 2025.

“The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) blamed below normal snowfall, declining river inflows and a dry summer forecast for the water shortfall. The shortage comes at a critical time, with wheat harvesting underway and preparation beginning for summer crops like cotton, rice and sugarcane,” he maintained.

With reservoir levels critically low, Khan Faraz said that farmers, particularly in Punjab and Sindh, the country’s agricultural heartlands, are bracing for severe irrigation water shortages that could threaten yields.

“It is worth mentioning that the country’s key water reservoirs have plunged to critical low levels (dead levels) in a development that poses a serious threat to the country’s agricultural output. According to Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), there will be a 43 percent shortfall in the water system.