ISLAMABAD: The first meeting of the Task Force on National Water Security was held under the chairmanship of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Ahsan Iqbal, with Water Resources Minister Mian Muhammad Moeen Wattoo also in attendance, as Pakistan moved to formulate a comprehensive strategy to address growing water challenges.
The meeting focused on rapid glacier melt, the impacts of climate change and the development of a national framework to ensure long-term water security. Ahsan Iqbal directed the establishment of a special working group under the Ministry of Water Resources and instructed that practical and actionable recommendations be finalised and submitted to the Planning Commission within 15 days. He also ordered the immediate convening of a technical workshop to convert water-related policies into implementable projects.
Participants were briefed that glacier melt in the Hindu Kush–Himalayan region has increased by 65 per cent over recent decades, particularly during 2011–2020. The Siachen Glacier is melting at a rate of 50 to 60 metres annually, while glacier retreat in the Himalayan range has reached up to 30 metres per year.
Addressing the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal said climate change had led to an alarming acceleration in glacier melt and that since 1960, around 23 per cent of glacier ice had already been lost. He warned that Pakistan was facing the risk of a severe and prolonged water crisis due to climate change.
He also highlighted India’s suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty as a serious threat to regional peace and Pakistan’s water rights, saying India’s water aggression was aimed at pushing Pakistan towards a water crisis. He added that increasing uncertainty in river flows had emerged as a major national risk.
The planning minister said water conservation was essential for food security and economic stability and stressed the need for stronger coordination between the federation and provinces on the National Water Policy. He said water security was not merely a sectoral issue but the foundation of national survival and sovereignty, directing the task force to propose immediate and workable solutions rather than only identifying problems.
The meeting was informed that Pakistan meets around 80 per cent of its water needs from rivers, while rapid population growth has pushed the country into severe water scarcity. Ahsan Iqbal said the financial model for water management was being updated in view of population growth and climate change, expressing concern that large volumes of freshwater were being polluted and wasted as they flowed into the sea.
He noted that water conservation was a core component of the government’s Five Es framework and called on universities and water experts to work jointly on evidence-based planning for sustainable water security.
The minister said the task force would play a central role in proposing effective solutions and stressed that the construction of new dams had become an urgent national requirement. He said Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand dams would be milestones in enhancing Pakistan’s water storage capacity.
Ahsan Iqbal directed Wapda, Irsa, the National Flood Commission and all provinces to provide expert input to the working group, ordered the formulation of a clear timeline to tackle the water crisis and said mitigation of water-related challenges would be treated as a top priority.
