Water scarcity has become a critical challenge for Pakistan’s agricultural sector, posing significant risks to its long-term sustainability. Despite vast tracts of arable land in regions like Balochistan and Punjab, the country has been unable to expand its cultivated area. The key bottleneck is water—a resource in increasingly short supply. This water crisis, driven by a combination of factors, threatens to undermine the country’s food security and agricultural economy.
Pakistan’s inadequate water storage capacity is one of the central issues. Despite an increase in water flow from melting glaciers, the country’s infrastructure is unable to capture and store sufficient volumes for agricultural needs. Over the years, Pakistan’s water storage capacity has dropped from 16.26 million acre-feet (MAF) to just 13.68 MAF, leaving the country with a mere 30-day carryover supply. By contrast, India boasts a 170-day buffer, while Egypt enjoys an even more robust 700 days. This lack of storage capacity limits Pakistan’s ability to mitigate the effects of both water shortages and flooding, particularly as climate change accelerates glacier melt.
Groundwater extraction is also a major concern. Pakistan is the third-largest consumer of groundwater in the world, following India and the United States, even though it represents just 3% of the global population. Groundwater extraction exceeds the natural replenishment rate, particularly in rural areas where 73% of the land is heavily reliant on underground aquifers. Unchecked withdrawals have led to the depletion of these critical water reserves, pushing the country toward an unsustainable future.
Outdated irrigation techniques, such as flood irrigation, exacerbate these problems. Water losses through inefficient practices reduce the productivity of the country’s agricultural sector. Rising temperatures—another consequence of climate change—are also playing a role. Pakistan is warming at a faster pace than the global average, with evapotranspiration rates increasing, leading to further water loss from both soil and plants.
The water crisis is no longer just a problem of tomorrow—it is already constraining Pakistan’s agricultural potential. Without urgent reform in water management and infrastructure, the country risks falling deeper into an agricultural and environmental crisis.
