The water crisis in Pakistan isn’t a future threat. It’s something we live with every day.
In Lahore, I often find myself standing in line at the local water filter plant, waiting to fill a few bottles.
Like many others, I do this because the tap water just isn’t safe to drink.
Bottled water is an option but honestly I prefer to refill like others.
At least it makes me connected to the real issue: water scarcity in Pakistan.
Lahore is one of Pakistan’s biggest cities. It’s a center of politics, culture, and business yet it’s been suffering from water scarcity for over two decades now.
If this is how things are here, imagine the situation in smaller towns and far-off villages.
The truth is, we’ve gotten used to living with water problems. But when you step back and look at the full picture, it’s far more alarming than we allow ourselves to see.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s really happening beneath the surface – and why the water crisis in Pakistan is far worse than we think.
Where We Stand in 2025
Water crisis in Pakistan has reached a critical stage. According to global reports, we now rank among the top 10 countries facing extreme water scarcity. The warning signs are just everywhere.
Back in 2009, every person in Pakistan had access to around 1,500 cubic meters of water per year. Today, that number has dropped to just 1,017.
And if things keep going the way they are, we’ll soon fall below 900.
To put it simply: imagine you used to get 1,500 bottles of water a year. Now, you’re down to just about 1,000 – and dropping. But your daily needs haven’t changed.
You still need water to cook, clean, drink, bathe, and grow food. Experts say if we drop below 500 bottles per person annually, we’ll be facing absolute water scarcity. A level where survival itself becomes uncertain.
This growing water shortage is because of three main factors: a rapidly increasing population, a changing climate, and years of poor water management.
Let’s see how this plays out across the country.
Karachi: A City Thirsty for Water
Life in Karachi means paying for something that should be freely available – water.
In areas like DHA and Bahadurabad, taps often stay dry for days, highlighting the severe water shortage in Pakistan.
Most families depend on water tankers that charge far more than they should.
On top of that, Karachi’s old water pipes keep bursting and leaking, wasting whatever little water the city gets.
Lahore: Water Slipping Beneath Our Feet
In Lahore, the problem isn’t always visible, it’s happening underground.
The city’s groundwater depletion is alarming, with the water table sinking by about one meter every year.
That means tube wells have to drill deeper and deeper just to keep up. Over time, this could damage roads, buildings, and homes.
The bigger problem? There’s no solid plan yet to recharge this lost water.
Balochistan: The Struggle to Drink
In Balochistan, years of drought and vanishing rainfall have made clean water hard to come by. In some areas, water tables have dropped by more than five meters.
Traditional systems like the ‘karez’ have dried up. Tube wells are now overused, draining groundwater even further.
Women and children often walk long distances just to bring home salty water- because that’s all that’s left.
Tharparkar: Where Drought Claims Lives
In Sindh’s Tharparkar district, the water crisis has taken a deadly turn. Every year, around 1,500 children die due to a lack of clean water, poor sanitation, and malnutrition.
Families don’t have access to clean drinking water or toilets. Women spend hours collecting just a few buckets. Even that water is often unsafe.
Faisalabad: When Water Makes You Sick
In Faisalabad, the water that flows into homes can do more harm than good. Almost 3 out of 4 water samples tested were found unsafe to drink. This reflects the broader water problems in Pakistan.
Industrial waste, chemicals, and bacteria pollute the city’s pipelines, causing diarrhea, skin infections, and other diseases, especially in children.
A National Problem, Not Just Local
This isn’t just about a few cities. It’s a nationwide water crisis. About 95% of our freshwater is used for farming but poor irrigation methods waste a lot of it, leading to severe water issues in Pakistan.
As clean water becomes harder to find, food crops suffer. That means food becomes more expensive and harder to get.
And as water quality drops, so does public health. Diseases like cholera and hepatitis spread fast where clean drinking water and sanitation are missing.
Why Is This Happening?
You’d think that a country blessed with the world’s largest glacier system outside the polar regions, over 13,000 glaciers in the north, wouldn’t face a water crisis.
But here we are, struggling every day to meet even our basic water needs.
The truth is, the crisis isn’t caused by just one thing. It’s a mix of many problems piling up over time.
Let’s break it down.
We Mismanage What We Have
Most of our water comes from the Indus River, yet we don’t handle it wisely. Provinces argue over how much they should get.
Farmers still use outdated irrigation methods where half the water leaks out before reaching the fields.
We haven’t invested enough in better farming tools, hybrid seeds, or efficient water delivery systems.
A lot of water simply gets wasted because of negligence and old infrastructure.
We’re Draining Our Groundwater
In many parts of the country, especially in rural areas, people rely heavily on underground water. But we’re pulling it out faster than it can be replenished.
Tube wells are everywhere – and they’re mostly unregulated. There are no rules about how much water can be pumped out.
So the underground reserves are shrinking fast, and in some places, they’re already dangerously low.
Climate Change is Making Things Worse
Rainfall patterns are shifting. Glaciers are melting faster. Summers are getting hotter.
All this means more evaporation and less reliable water sources. Droughts are longer. Floods are harsher. And the systems we have in place just aren’t built to handle this kind of pressure.
We’re Growing Too Fast
Pakistan’s population is expanding quickly. More people means more demand – for food, water, homes, and industry. But our water supply isn’t growing with us.
Cities are expanding, but most new housing societies are built without a proper water plan.
Industries are growing, but they often dump chemical waste straight into rivers and lakes without treating it.
We Lack Awareness and Education
Most people don’t think twice about how much water they waste.
Whether it’s long showers, leaving taps open, or overwatering lawns and crops – it adds up.
There’s little public education about conserving water or using it wisely. In cities, rainwater is rarely captured. In homes, greywater goes straight to the sewer instead of being reused.
Our Rivers are Turning Toxic
Rivers like Lai Nullah and Darya-e-Sawan were once freshwater lifelines. Now they’ve become open drains filled with industrial waste, sewage, and plastic.
We’ve polluted what little we had – and we continue to do so with very little accountability.
Politics and Poor Planning Don’t Help
Then there’s the constant blame game. Provinces accuse each other of stealing water.
Big infrastructure plans get announced but never finished. Meanwhile, no one is really investing in rainwater harvesting, recycling systems, or education campaigns.
Everyone’s pulling from the same water bank, but no one’s tracking how much is left.
Can Water Issues in Pakistan Be Fixed?
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed. The facts are grim. But the truth is, we can address Pakistan’s water crisis by stopping delay and start doing.
Right now, we waste rainwater. We over-pump groundwater. We build flyovers instead of recharge wells. And we treat clean water like it’s unlimited – when it’s not.
So how do we turn this around?
Start with Awareness That Actually Reaches People
Let’s face it, most people in Pakistan don’t know how close we are to running out of water. We need public campaigns that explain this in a way people understand.
Schools, mosques, community centres, even TV dramas and social media, it’s time we all start talking about water as a survival issue, not just a utility.
Make it relatable: Teach that every drop wasted means higher food prices, more sick kids, and fewer jobs.
Stop Wasting and Start Recycling
We flush perfectly clean water down the toilet every single day – while families in Thar walk miles for brackish water.
Recycling wastewater, especially in cities, can help reduce this pressure. Other countries treat and reuse their water safely. Why can’t we? Yes, we’ll need strict safety standards, but it’s doable and it’s necessary.
Fix Agriculture – Our Biggest Water Guzzler
Agriculture uses almost 95% of our water, but half of it never even reaches the crops. It leaks through old, unlined canals or floods fields inefficiently.
We need:
- Drip irrigation and modern watering methods
- A shift from water-hungry crops (like sugarcane) to smarter alternatives
- Education for farmers on how to grow more with less
These aren’t luxuries but they’re long overdue upgrades.
Build What Matters – Like Recharge Wells, Not Just Dams
Pakistan is obsessed with building big dams. But did you know that our aquifers (natural underground water stores) can hold over 80 times more water than our largest dams?
We need to:
- Build groundwater recharge wells in cities and villages alike
- Harvest rainwater from rooftops instead of letting it flood our roads
- Restore wetlands and floodplains, which nature designed to store and clean water
These solutions are cheaper, faster to build, and proven to work. Bangladesh and Kazakhstan are already doing it. Why are we still debating?
Use New Tech, Like Inflatable Rubber Dams
They sound odd, but they’re genius. These are flexible, inflatable barriers placed across rivers to temporarily store water, recharge groundwater, or even prevent floods.
They’re common in Japan, China, and even Bangladesh. Punjab identified over 30 sites where they could be built, but none have been. Why? Because roads get votes, water storage doesn’t.
Turn Rivers Into Trade and Lifelines Again
The Indus was once a mighty trade route and it could be again. Reviving inland water transport would ease pressure on our roads, cut emissions, and boost river economies.
Plus, maintaining navigable rivers also means maintaining healthy water flows which is a win-win.
Make Policy Matter
We can’t keep playing politics with water. Provinces fighting over river rights, projects delayed for years, and short-term decisions dominating planning. This must stop.
We need a national water emergency policy, one that cuts across party lines, focuses on long-term planning, and holds local authorities accountable for managing resources.
What It All Comes Down To
Addressing the water crisis in Pakistan isn’t just about survival. It’s about rebuilding our economy, protecting public health, and ensuring a future where every child has access to safe drinking water in Pakistan.
We’ve seen what inaction looks like. Now, let’s see what smart action can do.
Photo by Ehsan Moradi on Unsplash