Islamabad
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, on Monday raised the issue of water scarcity while Pakistan is designated as one of the three most water-stressed countries in the world as the intense water crisis in the country has led to severe droughts.
Speaking at a press conference following a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, she warned that Pakistan could face an acute shortage of water by 2025. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a task force to deal with climate change amid heatwave and the melting of glaciers in the country.
The minister further warned that in future more glaciers would burst which was a matter of concern, adding that the Indus, which was a jugular vein of the country as major agriculture was dependent on this river, had been facing an acute shortage of water, particularly after Kotri barrage downstream.
The ‘Global Food Policy Report 2022’ has cautioned that summer heatwaves are projected to increase at a rate of 0.71 days per decade in the country, increase in the intensity and severity of droughts in Pakistan, Dawn stated, quoting the report.
Another report released by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), says water scarcity in Pakistan is projected to worsen with climate change. Himalayan glaciers, an important source of rivers in South Asia, have lost more mass since 2000 than in the entire twentieth century, it read.
