Pakistan THE PERILS OF DENIAL: CHALLENGES FOR A WATER-SECURE

Pakistan faces a severe water security crisis driven by its reliance on transboundary freshwater sources, climate change, and poor management, with predictions of absolute water scarcity by 2025. This insecurity manifests as declining agricultural productivity, public health crises due to contaminated water, and social unrest in cities like Karachi. The document highlights that these vulnerabilities, alongside tensions with India over the Indus Basin Water Treaty, create fertile ground for insurgency and instability, thereby increasing risks to U.S. foreign policy and security interests. It recommends that the U.S. provide technical support for groundwater monitoring, facilitate water pricing systems, and promote soft engineering solutions like wetlands.

• Pakistan is highly vulnerable to water stress, ranking as South Asia’s fifth most vulnerable country for water availability, with Karachi identified as the sixth most water-stressed city globally. The country is projected to reach absolute water scarcity, where supply cannot meet demand, by 2025.
• Water insecurity is driven by a total reliance on external freshwater sources, specifically three tributaries of the Indus River originating in Tibet and India, and is exacerbated by climate change. Rising temperatures in the Tibetan Plateau and western Himalayas (4–5 degrees Celsius above average) and variable rainfall have led to severe floods, such as in 2010 and 2012, and prolonged droughts.
• Water scarcity and contamination have severe socioeconomic and public health impacts. Agriculture, which employs 43% of the workforce and provides 22% of GDP, is threatened, contributing to a 2016 Global Food Security Index score of 47.8. Public health is compromised by contaminated water—with 85%–100% of samples in various cities deemed unsafe—leading to nearly 300,000 annual infant deaths and an annual GDP loss of up to 4% (US$800 million) for treating water-related diseases.
• Water insecurity destabilizes Pakistan and creates risks for U.S. interests by fostering social unrest, weak governance, and providing "fertile ground for insurgency" by militant and terrorist groups. Additionally, water rights conflicts with India over the Indus Basin Water Treaty complicate U.S. relations with Pakistan.

APA

Sayed, A. H., Spangler, C. N., & Usman, M. F. (2017). Pakistan THE PERILS OF DENIAL: CHALLENGES FOR A WATER-SECURE. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/662/80aiis1xjx_PAKISTAN.pdf

Chicago

Sayed, Ali Hasnain, Chelsea N. Spangler, and Muhammad Faizan Usman. Pakistan THE PERILS OF DENIAL: CHALLENGES FOR A WATER-SECURE. WWF International, 2017. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/662/80aiis1xjx_PAKISTAN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sayed |first1=Ali Hasnain |last2=Spangler |first2=Chelsea N. |last3=Usman |first3=Muhammad Faizan |title=Pakistan THE PERILS OF DENIAL: CHALLENGES FOR A WATER-SECURE |publisher=WWF International |date=2017 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/662/80aiis1xjx_PAKISTAN.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sayed2017pakistan, author = {Sayed, Ali Hasnain and Spangler, Chelsea N. and Usman, Muhammad Faizan}, title = {{Pakistan THE PERILS OF DENIAL: CHALLENGES FOR A WATER-SECURE}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2017}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/662/80aiis1xjx_PAKISTAN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }