KARACHI: Pakistan’s freshwater resources are under mounting threat from over-extraction, mismanagement, and climate shocks, experts cautioned at an event titled “Building Water-Sensitive Communities: Collaborative Solutions for Freshwater Sustainability.”
Dr Masood Arshad, Senior Director of WWF-Pakistan’s Freshwater Programme, warned that unchecked groundwater extraction is accelerating ecological degradation in critical ecosystems such as the Indus River, Keenjhar Lake, and the Ravi River. “Water scarcity is no longer a future concern — it is a crisis we are living through,” he stressed, urging a nature-positive approach to restore and protect freshwater systems.
Speakers highlighted alarming global projections, warning that by 2030 nearly half the world’s population could face water stress if current trends persist. Pakistan is already grappling with falling groundwater levels and increased vulnerability to climate extremes, exemplified by the 2022 monsoon floods that submerged one-third of the country and displaced millions.
The event also marked the launch of a five-year WWF-Pakistan project, supported by a global biopharmaceutical company, aimed at promoting sustainable water management and building resilience in vulnerable communities.
