Pakistan faces a dual dilemma in the water sector. On the one hand, Pakistan is a water scarce country and, on the other, it is a victim of devastating floods. Every year the country struggles with a massive flooding season which is followed by long dry spells. Experts ascribe this paradox to a confluence of climate change, geographical vulnerabilities, and poor water management, especially a lack of storage capacity and inefficient water use.
When Pakistan came into being in 1947, per capita water availability was estimated at 5,260 cubic meters. Today, this figure has gone down below 1,000 cubic meters which makes us a water scarce country. The situation is explained by many factors, including a rapidly rising population now totalling about 250 million. Nearly 90% of fresh water is used by agriculture, but around 55 percent of applied water is lost due to an outdated irrigation system. Seasonal surface-water storage is retained only for 30 days, compared to 170 days in India.
The other side of the story is that Pakistan is among the most flood-prone nations, where monsoon rains and glacial melt regularly combine to wreak widespread flood havoc. The 2010 floods inundated a fifth of the country, affecting 20 million people and inflicting $10 billion in damage to crops and property. The 2022 deluge was worse, causing economic losses of over $25 billion. The 2025 floods have proved the worst of all, killing over 800 people and displacing millions. The exact amount of financial losses is yet to be computed.
Pakistan has yet to find an answer to the recurring cycle of deluge and drought which can be traced to inherent natural vulnerabilities aas well as governance failures. The country is totally dependent on the Indus River system which remains exposed to climatic vagaries. The Indus River derives most of its flow from a seasonal monsoon and glacial melt. In recent years, climate change has made this water delivery erratic, causing torrential, record-breaking rainfall that leads to severe flooding. When the monsoon season ends, the country experiences acute water scarcity during the long dry season. As global temperatures rise, the Himalayan and Hindu Kush glaciers that feed the Indus River are melting at an accelerated rate. This has increased water flow but in the long term threatens to reduce Pakistan’s water supply as gradually the glaciers shrink.
Over the years successive governments have failed to increase water storage capacity to absorb the impact of season’s vagaries. There are few reservoirs, dams, or rainwater harvesting systems to retain and store surplus monsoon water. As a result, all the excess water flows into the Arabian Sea. Pakistan’s existing water storage infrastructure can hold only about 30 days’ worth of water, significantly less than 120 days which is the international standard. This means that when floods occur, much of the excess water flows out to the sea instead of being captured for use in dry seasons.
Unchecked deforestation in catchment areas has worsened the situation. Environmental degradation combined with encroachments on floodplains obstruct natural flow of water, causing disastrous floods. In recent years, climate change is resulting in more intense and unpredictable monsoon cycles and extreme heatwaves. The 2022 floods were caused by unprecedented monsoon rains and glacial melt following a severe heatwave. Higher temperatures also increase the rate of evaporation, which raises the water needs for the country’s vital agricultural sector.
As suggested by experts, strategies to address the crisis should include building more dams and reservoirs. Constructing more small and medium-sized dams and reservoirs would increase Pakistan’s capacity to retain and store monsoon rainwater to be used later. At the same time, irrigation systems should be by promoting modern, water-efficient irrigation techniques like drip and sprinkler systems which can significantly reduce water wastage in the agricultural sector. To arrest creeping environmental degradation, there is a need for planting more trees in the northern areas. Restoring forests and wetlands in river catchments would help absorb excess rainwater and mitigate flooding.
A comprehensive national water policy is the need of the hour to ensure better coordination between federal and provincial authorities to manage water allocation and enforce regulations. Similarly, investing in early warning systems for floods, such as regional forecasting centres, could provide communities with more time to prepare for disasters. There is also an urgent need to implement and enforce regulations to prevent the over-extraction of groundwater. This is essential to preserve the water table and replenish aquifers. Public awareness campaigns are needed to educate citizens about the importance of water conservation and promote water-saving practices at the household level.
Over the long term, integrated planning of the Indus Basin is essential to meet the challenge of massive floods. It is also time Pakistan claimed its due share of international climate finance to fund resilience-building infrastructure ranging from glacier monitoring systems to modern irrigation networks.