PESHAWAR, Jul 26 (APP): Every morning before the sun climbs over the dusty hills of Charat in Nowshera district, 32-year-old Umar Khan picks up three large canisters and begins his 10-kilometer trek in search of clean drinking water.
A farmer by trade, Umar’s land now lies barren as his time and strength consumed not by tilling soil, but by the urgent, daily mission to bring home water his family can safely drink.
“I never imagined this would be my life,” Umar says, wiping sweat from his brow. “We had wells, we had rivers. But after the 2022 floods, everything changed. Now, even our ground smells of sickness.”
Umar is one of thousands in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa struggling to find clean water in the wake of increasing environmental stress, rising temperatures, and a rapidly growing population.
In regions like Peshawar, Charsadda, and Nowshera, residents are left with contaminated groundwater which is an invisible but devastating legacy of recurring floods.
As Pakistan population swelled over 242 million early this year, is growing at an unsustainable pace, exerting presure on agriculture and food resources.
Experts warned that the country could exceed 400 million people by 2050, placing unbearable stress on already scarce water resources and agriculture production.
Climate change is further intensifying the issue, with erratic rainfall, frequent floods, and melting glaciers depleting the country’s freshwater systems.
According to Professor (r) Dr. Zilakat Malik from the University of Peshawar, Pakistan is already among the top 14 countries facing extremely high water risk due to deforestation and lack of water reservoirs.
“Water availability per capita has dropped drastically—from over 5,200 cubic meters in 1962 to less than 1,000 today,” Dr. Malik told APP. “Without urgent intervention, we are not just talking about water shortage but talking about food insecurity, disease, and displacement on a massive scale.”
In the pediatric ward of the Government Hospital Pabbi Nowshera, Dr. Sirzamin Khan, a senior medical specialist, treats an ever-growing number of children suffering from waterborne diseases.
“Diarrhea, cholera, skin infections—these are almost daily cases now, in monson season” Dr. Sirzamin Khan said. “Children are the most vulnerable. Contaminated water stunts their growth and leads to malnutrition, especially in already deprived communities.”
Despite facing 22 major floods in the past 55 years, Pakistan has built fewer than 150 dams since its inception—a startling figure compared to countries like China, which has built over 22,000, and India, with more than 5,000.
A visitor will be disappointed to see thousands acres of barren land in Mardan and Swabi districts on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway and Karak, Lakki Marwat and Kohat on Indus Highway due to water scarcity and desertification.
Un-seemingly million hectares of productive land are gradually being lost to desertification world over either due to mismanagement or climate change, which greatly affects economy, agricultural productivity and food security.
More than 110 countries including Pakistan and two-third of agricultural land of the world are being faced with the challenge of desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD).
Every year, an estimated $42 billion of economic loss and six million hectares of productive land is lost due to land degradation and desertification by affecting overall agricultural productivity across the globe.
According to the data of Sustainable Land Management Program (SLMP-Phase II), around 1.5 to 2.5 million hectares of irrigated land, 3.5 to 4 million hectares of rain-fed agricultural, and 35 million hectares of rangelands are either becoming barren or non-productive annually due to DLDD causes.
Tauheed Khan, a retired forest conservator, emphasized the urgent need for small and medium-sized dams to store water for agriculture and human consumption.
“Big dams are important, but they take time and money,” he said. “Small dams can be built faster and are ideal for regions like KP. They are our best chance to meet future water demands.”
He said new dams were imperative to fulfill water requirements after India announcement to suspend Indus Water Treaty.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 56 small dams have already been completed, with 30 more underway, according to the Directorate of Small Dams. These dams promise irrigation, potable water, and flood control for millions.
Among them is the Mohmand Dam, a mega project expected to transform the water landscape of KP. Once completed, it will store 1.293 million acre-feet of water, protect flood-prone regions like Peshawar and Nowshera, and provide 300 million gallons of clean water daily.
Yet, even with projects in motion, experts warned that Pakistan remains critically behind schedule. The National Water Policy 2018 predicted that per capita water availability would plunge further, pushing the country from water-stressed to outright water-scarce in just a few years.
“We are farmers, but we can’t grow without water. We are humans, but we can’t live without it either” said Umar.
His voice is calm, but his eyes hold a quiet despair-a reflection of society where climate change, population pressure, and poor water management converge to threaten not just livelihoods, but life itself.
As temperatures rise and water sources dry up, Pakistan stands at a crossroads. Without bold action through dam construction, policy reform, and sustainable water use—millions like Umar may soon find their thirst growing far beyond what any trek can quench.