• Asks provinces to ensure untreated waste not discharged into rivers, streams
• Ravi, Sutlej severely polluted; Manchar Lake water unfit for drinking, irrigation
• Degradation in Kabul, Swat, other rivers pose public health risks

ISLAMABAD: Taking notice of deteriorating water quality in the country’s rivers and irrigation systems, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has asked the provincial governments to ensure that untreated wastewater does not enter rivers and natural streams.

The water regulator has reported worsening water quality due to pollution, salinity, odour and other factors in the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS).

“Recent studies and reports have highlighted an alarming deterioration of water quality in Pakistan’s rivers due to the discharge of untreated wastewater,” Irsa Chairman Amjad Saeed said in a letter to the provincial chief secretaries.

Based on these reports, sources said, Irsa had depu­ted its own teams and also sought reports from field formations of the provinces’ irrigation authorities.

In the letter, the provinces and the Pakistan Environmental Prot­e­ction Agency (Pepa) were remin­d­­ed that under the Indus River Sys­tem Authority Act, 1992, the water regulator is mandated to regulate and distribute the surface water re­­sources of the Indus River Sys­t­­em — the largest contiguous irrigation system in the world — among the provinces in accordance with the allocations and policies of the Water Apportionment Accord 1991.

Nearly 90 per cent of irrigation in IBIS is carried out through its vast canal network, making the country’s agriculture, food production and food security heavily dep­endent on the Indus River System.

The Irsa chief pointed out that the Ravi and Sutlej rivers, in particular, are reported to be severely polluted. In the lower Indus, salinity levels increase from upstream to downstream, particularly during low-flow months, while water in Manchar Lake has been rep­o­r­ted unfit for drinking or irrigation due to high salinity.

The regulator also noted that water quality degradation in the Kabul, Swat and other major rivers was emerging as a serious public health concern in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Field observations further revealed visible pollution — including foaming and foul odour — at major barrages, including Sukkur, Kotri and the Aral Head Regulator of Manchar Lake.

Irsa said studies showed total dissolved solids levels increasing from upstream to downstream and from the wet season to the dry season in water samples. “The concentration of chloride and the sodium absorption ratio (SAR) increased in the lower reaches of the Indus River. Likewise, dissolved oxygen was higher in the wet season compared to the dry season,” the Irsa chairman said.

The provinces were told that the matter was deliberated at a recent meeting of Irsa, where the authority expressed grave concern over deteriorating water quality in IBIS rivers and canals.

During the meeting, it was decided to issue advisories to Pepa and the provincial governments for remedial actions, while acknowledging and appreciating corrective measures already undertaken by the provinces.

Irsa has, therefore, asked the provincial governments and Pepa to issue necessary directions to the departments concerned under their respective jurisdictions and take immediate remedial measures to ensure that wastewater is properly treated before being discharged into rivers and other natural streams.

“Coordinated federal and provincial efforts are essential to protect the integrity of the IBIS and to safeguard the constitutional right of citizens to clean and sustainable water resources,” the Irsa chairman emphasised.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2026