Islamabad: Building more water reservoirs, restoring wetlands and promoting drought-tolerant crop varieties are vital for mitigating recurring and intensifying drought risks in the country. This was stated by Spokesperson Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Muhammad Saleem Shaikh in a press release on Sunday.
According to Radio Pakistan, the ongoing severe winter drought, which has adversely affected winter sowing, particularly wheat in the country, is in fact part of the larger trend of increasing climate variability. This variability threatens to disrupt agriculture, exacerbate water shortages, and elevate the risks of future droughts across the country.
The country is currently grappling with an unusual winter drought due to 40 percent below normal rains between September 2024 to January 2025. This has put the productivity of winter crops and the livelihoods of farming communities at risk. Due to acutely low rains, water stress has already exacerbated further in cultivated lands in Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan, particularly in rain-fed regions, due to the limited supply of irrigation water from the river system for Rabi crops.
Muhammad Saleem Shaikh highlighted that reduced water availability due to low rainfall was adversely impacting the growth of crops like wheat, a staple food, as well as vital cash crops like potato. This has led to fears of lower production and rising food prices and shortages in the future. The ongoing winter drought conditions underscore the urgent need for a unified response to address the country’s water crisis.
The national climate change policy has already highlighted that the country’s socioeconomic circumstances further augment its vulnerability to projected temperature increases, more variable rainfall patterns, and a greater risk of more intense and frequent droughts. Referring to national climate change policy recommendations for mitigation of drought impacts, Muhammad Saleem Shaikh emphasized that rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge, and the adoption of modern irrigation methods like drip and sprinkler systems are critical tools in the country’s survival strategy.
The Ministry Spokesperson noted that in recent years, there has been adequate research on developing new drought-tolerant high-yield varieties of crops in the country in collaboration with international agricultural research organizations.