Daily Times

As a weak rain system is ongoing nowadays, it is too little and too late. Our agriculture is staring at an alarming crisis. With Kharif season around the corner, an unprecedented water shortage now threatens crop production. All dams are nearly empty and river flows have shrunk. This year, snowfall in catchment areas has been low. Typically, we take it a seasonal concern, but we are told that it signals a deeper problem-climate change, poor water management and a failure to plan ahead.

Pakistan’s dependence on agriculture as the main industry demands that there should be enough to irrigate farms. Irrigation experts are left with no choice but to ration water on a month-to-month basis. This is a poor planning and this has never been done before, yet it is the only option in the face of dwindling resources. The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) has allowed water supplies only for April, with the hope that conditions might improve later. But hope is not a strategy. Pakistan needs concrete measures to tackle water scarcity, or else food security will be in danger.

Farmers in Sindh and Punjab, the backbone of Pakistan’s agricultural economy, will bear the brunt. Reduced water availability means lower yields of key crops like rice, cotton, and sugarcane. This, in turn, will affect exports, employment, and rural livelihoods. The dispute over the 3-tier water distribution formula further complicates the situation, as provinces struggle to secure their fair share.

Amid the sever shortage of water, we are told that there are plans to irrigate Cholistan farms. Where will water be arranged for the new farms when there is no water all. There is an urgent need for better water conservation, efficient irrigation techniques and long-term policies to store and distribute water wisely. Rainwater harvesting, dam construction, and modern farming methods should be prioritised. Without serious action, Pakistan’s agriculture-already at risk-could face a disastrous decline. *