Drinking Water Crisis in Pakistan: A Growing Danger

As it is said, “you don’t miss the water till the well runs dry”. That is exactly what’s happening in Pakistan. Many Pakistanis are facing a drinking water crisis. In some areas, even clean water is no longer available. Underground water has been polluted in many areas, making it unsafe to drink.

The problem is worse than many people think, as millions of people do not have access to clean drinking water. In several areas, water is either polluted or unavailable. Rapid increase in population, poor planning, old pipelines and weak water policies are making the situation worse. In addition to that, melting glaciers, unpredictable rains and extreme weather because of climate change are further adding pressure on already limited water resources.

One of the major problems is how the government and the public use water. Much of the water is used in the agriculture sector for farming and a large part of it is wasted because of outdated irrigation systems. In some rural areas, even dirty water goes back into the ground, polluting the clean water because sanitation processes are not followed.

Besides polluting the clean water, dirty water also leads to several diseases like diarrhoea, hepatitis, cholera and typhoid. Children’s health is at risk. Without clean water, public health will suffer, food production will decrease and poverty will also rise. If the water crisis continues, people will have to suffer beyond national borders. 

In simple terms, drinking water is life and life cannot sustain itself without it. It is impossible to survive without water. We need to understand its importance and act accordingly. Everyone- governments, communities and individuals- must take this issue seriously and play their part to save water today and save our tomorrow.