DRIVEN by rising temperatures linked to climate change, increasing drought events across Pakistan have affected tens of millions of people and devastated agriculture in recent years, forcing many rural communities to migrate. Over time, drought conditions have worsened, becoming warmer and drier, and are affecting much larger areas, especially in Balochistan and Sindh. The Met Office has again issued a drought alert for different parts of Sindh, southern Balochistan and lower eastern Punjab due to scanty rainfall — 40pc below normal since September. Even though the recent rain spells have brought some relief in parts of the country, several southern regions in Sindh and Balochistan have experienced more than 200 consecutive dry days. The below-normal rain means that the country experienced an increase of 2°C to 3°C in its normal mean temperatures, which has intensified drought conditions in the affected areas. The Tarbela and Mangla dams have already hit dead level, while water flowing in various rivers is at an extremely low level. With the immediate water availability outlook in the country looking bleaker at the moment, the rise in temperatures is likely to increase water demand for the new Kharif season.

The growing water stress linked to climate change is also posing a major threat to Pakistan’s food security, particularly in areas that already suffer from high levels of poverty and hunger. The situation calls for structural reforms in the water sector if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wants to help the farm sector achieve food self-sufficiency and enhance agricultural exports. Without making the water sector the centre of its agriculture and food security policies, the country cannot hope to become food sufficient, let alone increase its farm exports. Though successive governments have talked about measures to boost Pakistan’s water security, none has ever taken concrete policy measures to translate this rhetoric into action. There is a reason for the lack of action on water sector reforms; our policymakers often equate water security with the construction of mega dams and canals. The era of building dams is already over. The world is now using technology to reduce water usage for irrigation and exploring cost-effective localised solutions such as harvesting rainwater to help communities meet their needs in times of drought. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events caused by climate change calls for ‘thinking local, small and smart’.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2025