New Delhi, July 1: Pakistan’s persistent water crisis in the Indus Basin is primarily the result of poor water resource management rather than any action by India, according to a detailed report published in the Liberia-based daily The New Dawn.
The report argues that Pakistan continues to blame India for its water shortages despite long-standing structural issues within its own water management system. It comes at a time when India has kept the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the April 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the treaty will remain suspended until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism.
Former Chairman of the Central Water Commission and former Indian Commissioner for Indus Waters, Kushvinder Vohra, wrote in The New Dawn that Pakistan continues to receive around 140 million acre-feet (MAF) of water annually from the western rivers of the Indus Basin—higher than the 135 MAF estimated when the treaty was signed in 1960.
According to Vohra, Pakistan diverts only about 104 MAF of this water for irrigation, while the remaining volume is either lost through inefficient distribution systems or flows into the sea.
“The real issue about so-called water scarcity in Pakistan is mismanagement of the water received and a host of other factors, which are barely being discussed by experts in Pakistan,” Vohra wrote. He questioned whether blaming India had become a deliberate strategy to divert public attention from shortcomings in Pakistan’s own water governance.
The report also cites a World Bank study titled Pakistan – Getting More from Water, which concludes that Pakistan is well endowed with water resources but suffers from poor water resource management. The study identifies weak water governance, inadequate planning, groundwater over-extraction, pollution, low agricultural water productivity, and insufficient flood and drought forecasting systems as major challenges.
More than 90 per cent of Pakistan’s available water is used for irrigation, making improvements in irrigation efficiency and water productivity essential for long-term sustainability, the report noted.
Another major concern highlighted is Pakistan’s limited water storage infrastructure. The country has storage capacity equivalent to only about 15 per cent of its annual river flows and can store water for approximately 30 days. Experts warn that this is insufficient to ensure reliable irrigation during the Rabi crop season.
Vohra further stated that Pakistan has consistently objected to hydroelectric projects undertaken by India, even when they are permitted under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty. He said Pakistan needs to move beyond outdated perceptions and focus on addressing its internal water management deficiencies.
The report concludes that Pakistan’s long-term water security depends on adopting integrated water resource management, strengthening groundwater management, expanding storage capacity, improving agricultural practices, implementing institutional reforms, enhancing monitoring systems, embracing modern technology, and resolving inter-provincial water disputes.
According to the report, blaming India for Pakistan’s water challenges will not resolve the underlying issues, and sustainable reforms are essential to address the country’s growing water concerns.
