CLIMATE CHANGE AND WATER SECURITY: FOCUS ON PAKISTAN

Abstract

Climate change has discernably created imbalance in many bio systems. Among these systems, the water cycle has been conspicuously disrupted, as a primary fall-out of climate change. Water is the fundamental element of life. Accessing good quality of water has become the major concern of mankind. The poorly managed water resources are cause of catastrophes (floods, droughts, heavy rains, famine etc.). Water security, being one of the seven components of human security, has a direct impact on human life. This article draws attention towards the effects of climate-change over water security, with a focus on Pakistan. The focus on the impacts of climate change on water security was undertaken at a pivotal time in the region. Notwithstanding the debate, as to whether these observed extremes are evidence of climate change, an investigation is needed regarding the extent to which the country is resilient to these shocks. High temperature, increasing salt-water imposition in coastal ranges, a growing threat of glacier lake outburst floods, more intense rainfall, and changes in monsoon and winter rainfall patterns are just some of the ways in which climate changes are expected to affect Pakistan’s hydrologic resources. These risks amplify an already problematic situation, given that Pakistan is among the most water stressed countries in the world. Per capita access to surface and groundwater sources is expected to continue to decline in the decades ahead, driven largely by rapid population growth and urbanization. It is, thus, timely, and critical, to focus on climate risks for water security in the Indus basin of Pakistan.