Water pressure
From chronic water scarcity to catastrophic flooding, Pakistan is grappling with an ever-worsening water crisis. Now a suite of groundbreaking initiatives is offering hope in some of the country’s most vulnerable communities and ecosystems.
Story by
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Hassan Iftikhar
Photography by
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Khaula Jamil
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
On a sunny afternoon in the lush, piney woods on the outskirts of Makol Bala, Maria Waqar trudges through thick mud, a result of the previous night’s downpour. She comes to a clearing and points to a shoulder-high concrete basin with a spigot at its base—a rainwater storage tank that for two years has dispensed fresh, potable water to a girls’ school and several homes nearby, including her own.
“Water is the source of life here, but despite its abundance, we haven’t had enough for our daily use,” she says, her patterned dupatta fluttering in the breeze. “Before the installation of this water tank, my sisters-in-law and I had to fetch water from a local spring at least three times a day. Sometimes it took us an hour and a half to get water. But the open spring water made our children sick, and there was never enough to drink.”
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
Nestled in the scenic southern foothills of the Himalayas, Makol Bala is one of many small villages in northern Pakistan’s Galiyat region—a narrow mountain tract that bridges the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. In Urdu, Galiyat means “alley between two mountains,” and it’s these cascading gorges and forested peaks that draw throngs of hikers, trout fishers, and nature enthusiasts to hill stations within and around Ayubia National Park.
From around July to mid-September, the monsoon brings plentiful rainfall. Meanwhile, the region’s natural springs, streams, and inlets—fed by snow and glacial melt spilling down from higher elevations—provide most of its freshwater, including as much as 80% of its drinking and domestic water. They also support diverse wildlife such as leopards, palm civets, and golden jackals.
But as Galiyat’s population has risen in recent years—along with surges in deforestation and development—those freshwater sources have dried up, widening the gulf between supply and demand. Poor water management, storage, and access have added further strain, leaving communities, livestock, and wildlife vulnerable to shortages. And because Galiyat lacks adequate sanitation infrastructure to manage the waste generated by new hotels, markets, and visitors, its watershed has become increasingly polluted.
On average, 737 billion gallons of water are withdrawn from the Indus River annually to grow cotton.
These issues are illustrative of the growing water crisis across Pakistan, says Sohail Ali Naqvi, a director of WWF-Pakistan’s freshwater program leading stewardship and sustainability. “Though we’re blessed with adequate surface and groundwater resources, rapid population growth, urbanization, and overconsumption have drained the country’s water resources,” he says. “At the same time, worsening water quality and contamination of lakes, rivers, and groundwater aquifers have resulted in increased waterborne diseases and other health impacts.”
In a country of more than 250 million people, Pakistan’s per capita water availability is significantly less than in the US—around just 270,000 gallons annually—and an estimated 40% of deaths are tied to poor water quality. Climate change has exacerbated these challenges and highlighted a striking paradox: Pakistan, which ranks among the world’s most water-stressed nations, has in recent decades experienced catastrophic floods driven by extreme weather and less predictable monsoon rains. In 2022, floods affected 33 million people, left thousands dead, and caused more than $30 billion in damages. And in 2025, severe rainfall has caused yet more flooding and landslides across the country, devastating regions like Punjab, its largest province.
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
Hotter, drier weather is also affecting the amount and timing of the snow and glacial meltwater that feeds the Indus River basin, which provides a lifeline for some 300 million people and irrigates 44 million acres of agricultural land. Glaciers in the Karakoram and Himalayan mountain ranges are melting faster and earlier each year, causing flash floods in some areas and unpredictable water availability in others, impacting farmers and the agricultural and textile industries.
“As climate change intensifies, helping communities and landscapes adapt will mean better preparing for these extremes, from major droughts to record-breaking floods,” says Nicole Tanner, a water stewardship expert at WWF-US.
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
Five years ago, WWF-Pakistan began conducting hydrological assessments in landscapes on the front lines of Pakistan’s water crisis, including Galiyat, the Uchhali Complex wetlands, and the agriculturally important South Punjab region. Their goal was to better understand how factors such as soil type, land use cover, precipitation, and elevation affect water availability, distribution, and quality.
Based on those findings, in 2023 WWF-Pakistan and Nike launched an ambitious three-year project focused on implementing nature-based solutions to replenish and protect critical freshwater resources while delivering a wide range of benefits for people and nature.
Investing in the long-term ecological health and resilience of Pakistan’s watersheds is also crucial for the country’s economy. More than 90% of its water is used for agriculture, which anchors a robust but thirsty cotton and textile sector that contributes 8.5% of the GDP and accounts for over half the value of Pakistan’s exports.
For global companies like Nike, which sources apparel, equipment, and raw materials from across Pakistan, the stakes are high. The country is one of Nike’s largest cotton suppliers, and sourcing the water-intensive raw material accounts for around 80% of the company’s water footprint.
Recognizing that the future of business, nature, and communities flows from the same source, such corporations—along with others in the textile and beverage sectors—are supporting regenerative water projects to reduce their environmental impact while safeguarding the resources and ecosystems that people and supply chains depend on.
Underlying the WWF-Nike work is the concept of integrated water resource management (IWRM), explains Tanner. This involves the coordinated management of water, land, and other resources while minimizing environmental damage. “IWRM means looking at an entire river basin and making decisions based on various needs—when water is most scarce or when extreme weather events are expected, but also human welfare and social and economic development.”
In northern, mountainous communities where shifting rainfall patterns and insufficient infrastructure have decreased water availability, for instance, the partners designed and installed water storage tanks, systems to harvest rainwater and gray water, and reservoirs that collect water and recharge underground aquifers.
In wetlands downstream, efforts have also focused on recharging aquifers—when surface water from rain, rivers, or irrigation seeps into the earth and replenishes groundwater reserves—to reduce flooding. Farther south, initiatives to treat wastewater and improve water storage are increasing access to clean water and supporting more sustainable irrigation and farming practices.
Ultimately, the partners are working to replenish and recharge 25.6 million gallons of rainwater per year, reduce and better manage water use, and stabilize aquifer levels in water-stressed areas.
Since the start of the Nike-funded project, more than 66,000 community members have reaped indirect benefits, including better hygiene and sanitation. In one hill station, Nathia Gali, nearly 4,000 people now have reliable water access. And an average of six people per household get water from the rainwater storage tank in Makol Bala.
“We have clean drinking water in our homes and schools, and the children’s stomach problems have abated,” says Waqar. Moreover, she has more time to spend with her family. And her daughters and other female students—previously burdened with water-fetching duties—now have the opportunity to attend school. “It’s much easier for us now.”
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
A short drive from Makol Bala, Dr. Muhammad Imran Azam, a manager of community water stewardship and replenishment with WWF-Pakistan, walks up a rugged, densely wooded trail in Sajan Gali, another picturesque village near Ayubia National Park. After a 15-minute climb, he arrives at a large pool that’s making a big difference for villagers and wildlife.
“Aging and inadequate water infrastructure has contributed to water loss and inefficiencies in distribution, exacerbating water scarcity here,” says Dr. Azam. “By providing water to nearby households, this manmade rainwater pond is helping to meet the needs of local residents.”
Surveying its perimeter, Dr. Azam gestures toward an inlet where water flows in from an adjacent reservoir that captures rainwater, replenishing the aquifer and ensuring a steady water supply during dry spells.
“At least 25 households have benefited from this pond,” adds Shoaib Shabbir, a community-based organization member with WWF-Pakistan. “Since it was built, we have a source of water for daily chores like washing clothes and cleaning, for construction purposes, and for our washrooms,” he says. “We water our plants with water from this pond, and our livestock relies on it. But the best thing is that this water can be transmitted to other areas via pipes, helping others as well.”
Sajid Hussain, a WWF-Pakistan wildlife expert and field officer, has observed firsthand another positive impact: a significant decline in human-wildlife conflict.
Ayubia National Park and its surrounding areas shelter 31 mammal species, including common leopards. But as human settlements have grown and encroached on the forest, leopards faced with dwindling habitat and less prey are increasingly venturing into villages in search of sustenance, fueling conflicts between people and wildlife.
“Between 2008 and 2009, the park’s leopard population plummeted, mainly as a result of human-wildlife conflict,” says Hussain. “Every year, several leopards were killed in retaliation for attacking goats and cattle,” he says, noting that livestock is an important source of income for locals. Last year, a leopard killed 12 goats here in a single night, causing one villager to lose the equivalent of about $1,200.
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
Once the pond was constructed, however, those interactions dropped dramatically, and the leopard population is growing. “Such initiatives give wildlife and people room to coexist in their search for water,” says Hussain. Animal tracks and images from camera traps installed around the pond reveal a bustling ecosystem: jackals, foxes, civets, boars, porcupines, and leopards visit regularly to drink.
About a mile from Sajan Gali, another rainwater collection pond built last year is helping address a rise in forest fires sparked by hotter weather and drier-than-usual conditions. Under an initiative by WWF-Pakistan and local forest guards, community members like Allah Dad have been trained to better prepare for such climate-related disasters—and to protect their properties, their livelihoods, and the ecosystem.
Thanks to a newly installed pipe system at the reservoir, villagers can now mobilize quickly when tendrils of smoke signal a fire, using buckets of water to douse the flames.
“Last year, there was a fire here in the dry season, and I, along with the other men from the village, rushed together to put it out,” Dad recalls.
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
Far downstream, the low-lying plains of South Punjab are a stark contrast to the pleasant chill of Galiyat. Water here is scarcer, owing to higher temperatures and limited rainfall. In the agricultural hub city of Multan, farmers rely on simple tube wells and century-old, unlined irrigation canals to water cotton and other cash crops that are vital to millions of livelihoods.
But South Punjab’s irrigation system is falling apart: 40% of its water is lost due to poor maintenance and aging canals—and to water evaporating and seeping into the underlying soil. At the same time, “climate change is affecting agricultural sites … changing crops’ growth cycles,” says Dr. Fiaz Ahmad, an associate professor of agricultural engineering at Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan. “People can’t grow crops that they previously could grow at this time of the year.”
65%
amount of agricultural land in Pakistan irrigated by water from the Indus River, which accounts for approximately 90% of the country’s food and fiber production.
To address depleting water resources and create greater awareness about overall water conservation in the region, in 2021 WWF-Pakistan announced a collaboration with PepsiCo, which had inaugurated a local snacks manufacturing facility in Multan in 2019, to implement community water stewardship and watershed management practices.
Now, the joint initiative is working to improve the living conditions of local communities, support farmers, build more sustainable agricultural systems, and replenish the facility’s freshwater, reflecting PepsiCo’s net water positive vision.
Muhammad Imran, a local small-scale farmer dressed in a dhoti, points to a sign commemorating the start of the WWF-Pakistan-PepsiCo project. Next to him, a new canal lined in cement stretches for nearly 1,000 feet. He says the canal has been a blessing, eliminating water seepage and delivering water to his crops more efficiently.
“We want all watercourses to be lined, since this saves time,” says Imran. “We only get water for two hours a week from the main canal. Water through them reaches our farmland in 20 minutes, compared to the one and a half hours it took before.” Upkeep is easier as well, he adds. More than 30 farms have already benefited from the new canals.
Complementing the canals is laser land leveling, a technique in which farmers use a laser-guided land leveler to move soil in a field from higher to lower points to create a more uniform surface. This ensures fertilizer is distributed more evenly, promotes better seed germination, and allows water to reach every cultivated corner with less runoff.
“We got laser leveling done on five acres,” says local farmer Majid Bashir. “We can now grow more vegetables than we could before.” For Bashir, more efficient water flow has also reduced electricity costs by PKR 20,000 per year (around US$70) and freed up funds for other expenses. In total, Imran’s family now manages to save PKR 50,000 per year (around US$175) on five acres.
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
Water issues at Bahauddin Zakariya University’s Multan campus take a different form, says Dr. Ahmad. “The intensity and duration of rains have increased, exacerbating urban flooding,” he says. He adds that wastewater has also posed a serious problem. “With a student count of 33,000, the campus previously discharged all its untreated wastewater into the open fields, damaging soil and crops and increasing the water salinity level in the area.”
Today, the sprawling university is home to a “floating treatment wetland,” a system through which plant roots and microbes naturally filter and treat polluted wastewater. Such systems help purify sewage water and reduce the university’s reliance on groundwater for irrigation, cutting down on the electricity costs associated with pumping water from tube wells.
“With the help of WWF-Pakistan’s nature-based water interventions, we’re saving water, improving groundwater quality, reducing soil salinity—and we’re getting pure data on water purification and filtration that otherwise would have been impossible to get,” says Ahmad.
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
Water issues at Bahauddin Zakariya University’s Multan campus take a different form, says Dr. Ahmad. “The intensity and duration of rains have increased, exacerbating urban flooding,” he says. He adds that wastewater has also posed a serious problem. “With a student count of 33,000, the campus previously discharged all its untreated wastewater into the open fields, damaging soil and crops and increasing the water salinity level in the area.”
Today, the sprawling university is home to a “floating treatment wetland,” a system through which plant roots and microbes naturally filter and treat polluted wastewater. Such systems help purify sewage water and reduce the university’s reliance on groundwater for irrigation, cutting down on the electricity costs associated with pumping water from tube wells.
“With the help of WWF-Pakistan’s nature-based water interventions, we’re saving water, improving groundwater quality, reducing soil salinity—and we’re getting pure data on water purification and filtration that otherwise would have been impossible to get,” says Ahmad.
© WWF-US/Khaula Jamil
Just outside of Multan amid a patchwork of farmland and quiet villages lies Chak RS. The town, named after the railway station, stands at the forefront of nature-based solutions and signals a forward-looking approach to water challenges across the country.
In the past, sewage had contaminated the groundwater here, “making it very difficult for us,” says Muhammad Hussain, a local homeopath. “Diseases like hepatitis, body rashes, and stomach problems were common due to the impure water,” he says.
Today, the village boasts a floating treatment wetland, a water filtration plant, and a water geyser, as well as a system to collect, treat, and repurpose water used for ablution, an Islamic ritual for cleansing the body before prayer.
“Over 600 families live here, and over 4,000 people directly benefit from the filtration plant,” says Hussain. “The solar-powered water filtration plant and the other interventions help the entire neighborhood of around 30,000 people.
“People now approach us after looking at the model village from different areas and want to get the same facilities installed, to emulate it, given its benefits,” he continues. “It educates them and ignites within them a fire to be the harbingers of change.”
2035
Year by which Pakistan could become water-scarce, when water demand exceeds the available supply.
Building on such work, Recharge Pakistan, a project launched in 2024, is poised to expand, coordinate, and improve existing freshwater and climate adaptation efforts—like those modeled in Makol Bala, Multan, and Chak RS—at a national scale. Supported by the Green Climate Fund, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and WWF, in partnership with the Government of Pakistan, Recharge Pakistan aims to implement nature-based solutions to transform flood and water resources management and tackle water security issues across the Indus River basin.
“Recharge Pakistan represents the largest investment at the national level made to date in flood and water resources management,” says Naqvi. “We hope this project will demonstrate the effectiveness of innovative green adaptations to flood and drought, including the restoration and reforestation of forests and wetlands; the rehabilitation of water flow paths and channels; the development of recharge basins and retention areas; and the strengthening of the climate resilience of local businesses in the agriculture and forests sectors—interventions that could directly benefit more than 680,000 people and support more than 7 million indirectly.”
“We can do this, since we have help and good people around us,” says Hussain. “We don’t only rely on hope now; it’s slowly becoming a reality.”
© PETE OXFORD/NATUREPL.COM
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