NA Speaker Calls for National Consensus on Pakistan Water Crisis
ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has called for a nationwide consensus and long-term policies to address Pakistan’s growing water crisis, stressing that sustainable solutions are needed instead of temporary measures.
Speaking at a parliamentary seminar on water governance, the speaker urged the federal and provincial governments to make water harvesting and conservation a priority. He also called for the introduction of sustainable water recycling systems at both levels of government to reduce wastage, improve groundwater levels and conserve water resources.
Ayaz Sadiq said political differences should be set aside to develop a national consensus on the country’s water challenges. He described water security as being directly linked to human security, economic stability and national security.
He said water was no longer merely a sectoral issue but had become a critical national security concern. He stressed that ensuring access to clean water was a shared national responsibility.
The speaker called for greater attention to the construction of water reservoirs and small dams and stressed closer cooperation between the federal and provincial governments for effective management of water resources.
He also emphasised the need for effective implementation of the National Water Policy, stronger coordination among relevant institutions and transparent utilisation of funds allocated for water-related projects.
According to the speaker, responsible investment, modern technology, reduction of water wastage and restoration of groundwater resources should form key components of a comprehensive national water-security strategy.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan had not built a new water reservoir in the last 50 years. He stressed the need to increase the storage capacity of existing reservoirs and construct new ones to strengthen the country’s ability to cope with increasingly scarce water resources and the impacts of climate change.
Ahsan Iqbal also expressed concern over the decline in development financing. He said the Public Sector Development Programme had fallen from 2.6 per cent of GDP in 2018 to 0.6 per cent in 2026.
He said the PSDP allocation was around Rs1 trillion in both 2018 and 2026, but after accounting for inflation, the current allocation represented only around Rs250 billion to Rs300 billion in real terms.
The minister called for more effective utilisation of development funds, stronger financing for local governments and better disaster-risk financing to expand proven low-cost local solutions across the country.
Parliamentary Task Force on SDGs Convenor Shaista Pervaiz said water security was not simply a matter of water scarcity but also involved the sustainable use and effective management of available water resources.
She said improving Pakistan’s water resources was a shared responsibility and called for greater efforts to protect and strengthen the country’s water resources.
The seminar was attended by members of the National Assembly, government officials and representatives of the UN Development Programme, World Bank, WaterAid and UNICEF.
