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ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (APP):The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) organized a seminar titled “The Thirst for Safety: Water Quality and Public Health in Pakistan” here on Wednesday.
The event brought together experts, researchers and students to deliberate on Pakistan’s growing water-quality crisis and its alarming implications for public health and sustainable development, a news release said.
Keynote speaker, Dr. Hifza Rasheed, Director General (Water Quality) at the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) presented detailed data and analysis on the state of Pakistan’s water resources, while Dr. Shujaat Farooq, Dean (Research) at PIDE, moderated the discussion.
Dr. Shujaat reflected on Pakistan’s paradox of abundance and scarcity, emphasizing that the country is blessed with glaciers, rivers, and rainfall, yet continues to face acute water shortages due to over-extraction, lack of pricing mechanisms, and insufficient groundwater recharge. He noted that despite the availability of natural resources, population pressures and unsustainable consumption have intensified water insecurity.
He pointed out that floods, often seen as disasters, can also serve as natural recharge systems that replenish groundwater reserves when properly managed. He called for adopting nature-based and climate-resilient solutions to sustain Pakistan’s water resources, including efficient infrastructure, public awareness, and evidence-based policymaking.
He stressed the need to recognize water as an economic good, to value and price it appropriately, and to ensure that research and innovation guide future water governance in Pakistan.
Dr. Shujaat noted that access to safe and clean water was both a basic human right and a cornerstone of national productivity. Despite Pakistan’s extensive natural endowments, he said, the country faces significant challenges including contamination, over-extraction, and institutional weaknesses that make water insecurity one of the nation’s gravest public-health challenges.
Citing UNICEF data, he emphasized that nearly 70 percent of households use contaminated water, and 30 to 40 percent of diseases—such as diarrhea, hepatitis, and typhoid—stem directly from unsafe water consumption.
“The challenge is not just scarcity—it is coordination and management challenges that affect both human and economic development,” he stated.
Dr. Hifza Rasheed’s revealed a comprehensive national overview and said that Pakistan’s per-capita freshwater availability had plummeted from 5,260 m³ in 1951 to below 1,000 m³ in 2024, officially placing the country in the “water-scarce” category. Agriculture consumes about 93 percent of available freshwater, yet irrigation efficiency remains only around 40 percent due to seepage and outdated systems, she said and added that over 1.3 million tubewells were operating in Punjab alone, with groundwater extraction now averaging 50 million acre-feet annually, causing severe depletion—depths have reached 600 to 1,200 feet in parts of Baluchistan and Islamabad.
PCRWR monitoring shows that only 47 percent of Pakistan’s population currently has access to safe drinking water, a modest rise from 39 percent in 2022, but still far from the SDG 6.1 goal of universal access by 2030, she said..
She warned that unsafe water causes to an estimated 53,000 child deaths every year and contributes to Pakistan’s high rates of stunting—nearly 44 percent of children nationwide.
Industrial waste, pesticides, and untreated sewage are polluting surface and groundwater, with arsenic levels dangerously high across southern Punjab and Sindh.
Water quality in the Eastern Rivers (Ravi and Sutlej) has sharply deteriorated due to transboundary pollution and unchecked industrial discharges.
Only 38 percent of domestic wastewater in Pakistan is effectively treated, and the country ranks among the top 10 nations globally with the largest population lacking access to safe water
Dr Hifza also highlighted Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate change, noting that it ranks fifth among the world’s most water-insecure countries and faces a projected 3–6 °C temperature rise by the end of the century. The recent floods of 2025 caused an estimated USD 14.9 billion in damages and USD 15.2 billion in economic losses, exacerbating water contamination and disease outbreaks.
PCRWR responded with mobile and solar-powered water-treatment units in flood-hit areas, contributing to cholera prevention and relief operations. She stressed that for every USD 1 invested in water and sanitation, the return is USD 4.3 through reduced healthcare costs and improved productivity, while Pakistan currently loses PKR 93 billion annually due to unsafe water and inefficiencies in the water sector.
Despite incremental progress, Pakistan must accelerate efforts seven-fold to achieve the SDG targets for safe and affordable drinking water by 2030.
Dr. Hifza attributed the slow pace to coordination challenges, fragmented policies, weak enforcement, and a lack of financial sustainability in water-supply models. However, she cited promising pilot projects such as community-managed filtration plants in Karachi and metered water-supply schemes in Sargodha, which recover up to 87 percent of operational costs and demonstrate scalable, sustainable solutions.