Pakistan enters water scarcity phase as per capita availability falls below 1000 cubic meters

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - Pakistan’s water crisis has intensified, with official data revealing that the country has moved from water stress to full water scarcity as per capita water availability falls below critical levels.

According to a report submitted by the Ministry of Water Resources to the National Assembly of Pakistan, annual per capita water availability has dropped below the internationally recognized water scarcity threshold of 1,000 cubic meters.

The report states that per capita water availability stood at 5,260 cubic meters in 1951. It declined to 1,102 cubic meters in 2017, further falling to 948 cubic meters in 2023, and reaching just 899 cubic meters in 2025. Any level below 1,000 cubic meters is considered water scarcity.

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Population growth has been identified as the primary factor behind the sharp decline. The population was recorded at 241.49 million in 2023 and was projected to rise to 254.79 million by 2025.

The federal government has prioritized the development of new water reservoirs by 2030. Under the Public Sector Development Programme, 18 small, medium, and large dam projects are currently at various stages, with a total estimated cost of Rs1,036.069 billion.

Upon completion, these projects are expected to provide approximately 8.2 million acre-feet of additional water storage capacity and bring 346,447 acres of land under irrigation.

The report highlights that the Diamer Bhasha Dam alone will store 6.4 million acre-feet of water, significantly enhancing irrigation supply for 45 million acres of serviced land under the Indus Basin Irrigation System.