Pakistan badly needs improvements in governance and water management: Report
Islamabad, July 17
Frequent war cries, heated rhetoric and appeals to ancient history will do nothing to secure Pakistan's long-term water security, a report has detailed while highlighting the urgent need for the country to make improvements in governance and water management.
In the past year, Pakistan has tried to present itself as the rightful heir to the Indus Valley Civilisation in an apparent attempt to bolster its position in its diplomatic dispute with India over the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT).
India has placed the IWT in abeyance following the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir, which claimed 26 lives. The attack in Pahalgam was carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
For years, India tried to renegotiate the treaty, formally notifying Pakistan of its desire to make changes in the pact in January 2023. At the time of signing of treaty, India accepted constraints on the development of its upstream projects to take Pakistan's interests into account, although doing so restricted India's own capacity to make use of the full potential of the Indus basin, a report in Inkstick Media mentioned. However, following the Pahalgam attack, India placed the IWT in abeyance until Pakistan continues its support for cross-border terrorism.
"Pakistan has explored a variety of diplomatic and legal avenues to force India's hand on this issue, from questioning the legality of the abeyance to issuing threats of military reprisals and even nuclear war. Amid the many attempts to force a resumption of the IWT, which has included appeals to the United Nations Security Council and a daylong conference on the issue at the end of June, Pakistan has sought to invoke a far older source of legitimacy, appealing to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization as a means of attaining international support for its cause. Employing history it has largely ignored to advance a contemporary geopolitical objective is hardly unique to Pakistan," Marcus Andreopoulos, a senior research fellow at the Asia-Pacific Foundation, wrote in Inkstick Media.
Signed 70 years back, the IWT reflects environmental conditions that do not exist in the present time and do not account for the extreme climate problems that are now a routine in South Asia. Poor water governance, including inefficient irrigation ways, pollution, and inadequate flood and drought prediction, contribute more to water problems in Pakistan than anything India could do by placing IWT in abeyance. Data has indicated that approximately one third of Pakistan's water supply reaches the sea without being used.
"At the same time, the widespread use of private tubewells has contributed to excessive groundwater extraction, with water tables reportedly falling by around 1.5 meters each year. These figures suggest a serious weakness in Pakistan's water allocation system and persistent failures to plan effectively for long term sustainability in its water policy. Pakistan's water distribution has also historically reflected the relative political importance of its regions, rather than their differing water requirements," wrote Andreopoulos.
"Since signing the IWT, Pakistan has developed what has been described as an "obsession" with dam construction, reducing the natural flow of freshwater, and increasing the country's vulnerability to the effects of climate change. Much of this dam-building program has been directed towards meeting the energy requirements of Punjab, the traditional center of military and political power in Pakistan. Given the military's increasingly prominent role in Pakistan's water governance, this is an unsurprising development. Pakistan is in bad need of major improvements in governance and water management. Meanwhile, war cries, heated rhetoric, and appeals to ancient history will do nothing to secure the country's long-term water security," the author added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This report hits the nail on the head. Pakistan's obsession with dams, especially for Punjab's benefit, shows how politics trumps common sense. And then they claim the Indus Valley Civilization as their own? That's a stretch when they've neglected the river system for decades. India placing IWT in abeyance is a wake-up call they've long ignored.
As an outsider looking in, this analysis seems spot-on. Climate change is hitting South Asia hard, and both India and Pakistan need to cooperate on water—but trust is broken after Pahalgam. Pakistan's internal mismanagement (tubewells causing groundwater drop of 1.5m/year? Shocking!) is a much bigger threat than anything India can do. Time for Islamabad to look inward, not just at the Indus.
The irony is thick—Pakistan invokes the Indus Valley Civilization but can't even manage the water that sustains its people today. Meanwhile, India has every right to protect its interests after cross-border terrorism. War cries won't fill reservoirs; good governance will. Hope Pakistan learns from this before it's too late.
I agree with the report's core point, but I have a respectful critique: India's abeyance of IWT, while justified after Pahalgam, might create long-term instability. Water should not be used as a geopolitical weapon, even in retaliation. That said, Pakistan must first fix its own governance—those tubewell figures are alarming. Both sides need a mature dialogue, not historical posturing.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.