ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has strengthened its water governance and planning capacity over the past decade but continues to face serious risk from climate shocks, declining freshwater availability and weak service provision, according to the Asian Water Development Outlook 2025.
The regional water security assessment linked to the Asian Development Bank evaluates countries across Asia on water supply, governance, climate resilience, urban systems and environmental health.
The study found that Pakistan has made policy progress since 2013, yet implementation remains inconsistent and the country is still exposed to extreme weather events, rapid population growth and stressed aquifers. The assessment warns that improvement has not kept pace with risk.
“Pakistan’s national water security score improved moderately from 2013 to 2025 by 6.4 points. At the same time, water governance performance, measured through SDG 6.5.1, rose from 50 percent in 2017 to 63 percent in 2023,” the report said.
Despite these gains, rural supply and service reliability remain uneven.
“Pakistan’s rural household water security remains under pressure due to ineffective service models, limited surveillance, and persistent contamination,” while economic performance is hampered by “falling per capita water availability, insufficient storage, and heavy reliance on poorly monitored groundwater resources for industrial activity,” according to the report.
Pakistan’s cities remain under pressure, with infrastructure struggling to match population growth and demand:
“Urban water security has shown only modest gains, with rising demand, untreated wastewater and urban flooding straining infrastructure and service delivery.”
Environmental conditions have also deteriorated, driven by unchecked industrial discharge and limited regulatory enforcement.
“Environmental water security has declined slightly, as rapid population growth, industrial activity, and untreated wastewater continue to degrade aquatic ecosystems,” the report added.
Pakistan remains highly exposed to disasters including major floods, droughts and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). The report cites the 2022 monsoon crisis, noting that it “affected over 24 million people.”
While early-warning systems are improving, infrastructure investment and coordinated management remain inadequate.
The document concludes that Pakistan must convert policy gains into ground-level delivery by expanding financing, strengthening provincial coordination and scaling ecosystem protection to stabilize long-term water security.
