ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the government had decided to fast-track the construction of water reservoirs across Pakistan, citing growing climate risks as well as India’s decision to manipulate transboundary water flows after suspending the decades-old Indus Waters Treaty in April.
New Delhi decided to put the World Bank-backed 1960 treaty “in abeyance” after a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people earlier this year, blaming it on Pakistan and stating it would not resume cooperation until Islamabad “irrevocably abjures its support for cross‑border terrorism.” Pakistan denied any involvement in the incident and called for an independent international investigation.
Sharif mentioned his administration’s priority to build water reservoirs during a visit to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Islamabad, as heavy monsoon rains battered parts of the country and left more than 50 people dead. He also referred to a recent ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, which rejected New Delhi’s attempts to suspend the treaty this month.
“But the enemy has certain evil designs against Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan, as he warned that water could be “weaponized” by India.
“In view of this, the government has decided to fast-track non-controversial water storage projects under the water accord, which provides legal cover for provincial coordination,” he added.
Sharif emphasized the key role of the NDMA in strengthening climate preparedness and resilience, and called for public alert systems to be improved in collaboration with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Referring to the devastating floods of 2022, he said Pakistan was among the countries most vulnerable to climate-related disasters.
The prime minister also praised the NDMA for its coordinated emergency response capacity, including recent international relief missions to Türkiye and Myanmar, and expressed hope that real-time data sharing and early warning systems managed by the National Emergencies Operations Center under the NDMA would continue to guide provincial disaster response.
