A critical threat to Pakistan’s future stability has been highlighted by a report presented by the Ministry of Water Resources in the National Assembly, revealing an alarming decline in the annual per capita water availability due to rapid population growth. The findings underscore the country’s trajectory towards becoming a severely water-stressed nation.
According to the Ministry’s data, Pakistan’s population saw an increase of approximately 40 million people between 2017 and 2023. This surge directly contributed to a concerning drop of 154 cubic meters in the per capita availability of water. The report projects a grim future: if current trends persist, Pakistan’s population is expected to hit 288 million by 2030, potentially reducing the annual per capita water availability to a critical low of 795 cubic meters.
The scarcity is already acutely felt across provinces. The report specifies that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s per capita water availability has fallen to 679 cubic meters, while Punjab stands at 760 cubic meters. Sindh records 1169 cubic meters, and Balochistan 928 cubic meters. These figures place large segments of the population far below the internationally accepted threshold for comfortable water access, serving as a stark warning to policymakers. The data necessitates urgent, comprehensive reforms in both population planning and water resource management to avert a larger humanitarian and economic crisis.
