ISLAMABAD (Kashmir English): Pakistan is heading toward an alarming water crisis, with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) revealing that more than 80 percent of the population has no access to clean drinking water.
The warning came through the Asian Water Development Outlook Report 2025, which highlighted fast-depleting reserves and rising vulnerabilities linked to climate change.
According to the ADB, the country lost water security at an alarming pace over the years despite improvements in scoring systems.
Per capita water availability has fallen from 3,500 cubic meters to just 1,100 cubic meters, pushing the country toward the threshold of absolute scarcity.
The report warns that unchecked extraction of groundwater is causing the spread of toxic arsenic across several regions adding that rising population, climate change, weak management systems, and misaligned priorities are accelerating the crisis.
Agriculture identified as largest water waster
ADB notes that Pakistan’s agricultural sector consumes the highest volume of water yet remains highly inefficient.
Outdated irrigation systems, poor water practices, and inadequate monitoring continue to undermine conservation efforts.
The report stresses that economic development will remain impossible without meaningful water security, urging authorities to shift focus from large physical projects to long-term reforms and governance improvements.
While Pakistan has developed strong water policies on paper, ADB found that implementation remains “weak and slow.”
The report suggests establishing an independent authority to monitor water quality across the country, noting that governance challenges are contributing to uneven development and worsening resource depletion.
