Pakistan is a severely water-stressed country, rapidly moving towards a state of absolute water scarcity. It ranks as one of the most water-insecure nations globally, with per capita water availability having plummeted from over 5,000 cubic metres in 1947 to below 1,000 cubic metres today, threatening to create a massively water-starved population.

Traditionally, the major causes of Pakistan being a water-stressed country have been listed as population growth, rapid urbanisation, climate change affecting glaciers and monsoon patterns, and mismanagement of water resources. However, no concrete policy has been devised and implemented to conserve water. For instance, the country has an extremely low water storage capacity, with only 30 days of storage, compared to 900 days in the United States or 700 days in Egypt. Similarly, over 80 per cent of the country’s water resources are used by four major crops (rice, wheat, sugarcane and cotton), which contribute only 5 per cent to GDP.

Moreover, about 95.8 per cent of Pakistan's water depends on the Indus River system, which is highly sensitive to climate-induced changes. Pakistan has over 75 per cent of its water........

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