Water Deficit, Agriculture Productivity Losses in Pakistan

News Desk

Peshawar: Pakistan is vulnerable to climate change, and in the next few years, it is anticipated to have a severe water deficit for domestic, industrial, and agricultural use. This is mostly due to changing weather patterns, including a drop in rain and snowfall.

According to the Met Office, Pakistan recorded 77 percent less rainfall in February than normal due to climate change-induced weather patterns and global warming.

Similarly, in January last year, 21 percent below normal rainfall was recorded in the country due to climate change. However, KP and AJK have received 11 percent more rainfall due to increased forest cover.

Source: Met Office

Snowfall recorded in the winter season from October 2022 till the date: 135 inches in MalamJabba, 122 inches in Kalam, 66 inches in Astore, 51 inches at Babusar top, 36 inches in Murree, 35 inches in Chitral, 24 inch in Ziarat, and 23 inches in Skardu.

The Met Office predicted that there would be no rainfall across the country until March 20; however, a rainfall system was likely to be developed in the Middle East after March 20, hoping to bring downpour to Pakistan.

Looming Threat

Due to Pakistan’s reliance on glaciers for the majority of its consumable water supply, the country is facing a serious threat from water scarcity as a result of this winter’s low snowfall and rainfall.

According to the National Water Policy 2018, Pakistan is progressively moving towards water stress as a result of weather patterns brought on by climate change and a lack of dams, which could soon result in food insecurity for living things.

According to the policy, per capita surface water availability has declined from 5,260 cubic metres per year in 1951 to around 1,000 cubic metres in 2016, and this quantity would likely further drop to 860 cubic metres by 2025.

The policy forewarned that the country’s groundwater situation is likely to deteriorate further, particularly in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, where one million tube wells are presently pumping approximately 55 million acre feet (MAF) of underground water for irrigation—20 percent more than what was available from canals.

Productivity Loss

According to available data, an estimated USD 42 billion in economic loss and six million hectares of productive land are lost every year due to land degradation, drought, and desertification around the world, including in Pakistan.

Out of 79.6 million hectares of land in Pakistan, about 70 percent is arid to semi-arid, 50.88 million hectares are rangelands, and only 22 million hectares are under cultivation.

Approximately 1.5 to 2.5 million hectares of irrigated land, 3.5 to four million hectares of rain-fed agricultural land, and 35 million hectares of rangelands are either becoming barren or non-productive annually due to drought, land degradation, and desertification in the country. Last year, climate change-induced, devastating floods caused about USD 40 billion in losses to Pakistan.

Countering Climate Change

Conservator Gulzar Rehman said that Pakistan is among the 10 most affected countries by climate change despite playing no part in hazardous gas emissions. He said that during the current spring season in KP province, 78.93 million saplings are being planted to combat climate change with the assistance of government departments, non-governmental organisations, farmers, and the general public.

Rehman said communities, students, teachers, and the general public are being involved to achieve the set target. The Conservator informed us that 654.27 million saplings, including 353.14 million through 6081 enclosures, 121.39 million through plantations, and 150.76 million through farm forestry and the general public, etc., were planted under the 10 billion trees project up to December 31 last year.

Global recognition of Pakistan’s afforestation initiatives to address climate change issues has highlighted the necessity for the COP 29 UN fund to be operationalized as soon as possible to assist Pakistan and other vulnerable nations.

Whopping plantations are the most viable strategy to combat climate change, and if every person plants at least five trees in a year and properly looks after them, then 11,000 million saplings could be planted annually, stated Conservator Rehman.

Additional input and edited by Wraa Noor