'Water efficiency is a necessity'.

KARACHI -- Pakistan is experiencing frequent and severe climate change-induced natural disasters. The country has a long history of battling droughts and floods. Despite contributing less than 1% of global carbon emissions, the country is still grappling with the effects of climate change.

Agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater in Pakistan, using over 90% of the resource, but mismanagement has led to almost 50% of water being wasted.

While there may be little the country can do, relative to advanced economies, to mitigate the chances of such calamities increasing, it can progress by leaps and bounds by adopting water resource management strategies from these progressive countries. The unavailability of sufficient usable water resources can lead to food security issues in an agriculture-based economy with a burgeoning population.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Concave Agri Services President, Muhammad Ali Iqbal said, 'Pakistan is losing its two biggest water reservoirs: glaciers and underground water.' With 'mind boggling' usage of water by the sector, it is key to launch an awareness campaign to ensure that farmers use water resources appropriately.

'Due to outdated farming techniques, irrigation is still done using the older flood irrigation technique - wasting more than 50% of water resources,' he said, adding that drip irrigation, sprinklers, and other smarter technologies can help the farming community use water more efficiently.

Iqbal emphasised that smarter technologies, like drip irrigation and sprinklers, can help the farming community, especially in Sindh and K-P, to make use of this precious resource judiciously. Digital solutions can also be introduced to monitor water usage, as in other countries, instead of using decades-old manual irrigation methods. Moreover, it is becoming evident that the over-usage of water for irrigation purposes not only makes the water table go down but also causes serious damage to soil health, affecting the productivity of the agriculture sector.

According to Mahmood Nawaz Shah, Senior Vice President Sindh Abadghar Board (SAB), some of the 50% lost water is natural, while some is not accounted for as it is used illegally.

Pakistan's multinationals are helping conserve water by improving water use efficiency in their direct agricultural supply chain.

Nestle Pakistan launched its Water Pledge in 2021, which focuses on agriculture, factories, and communities, and aims to improve water use...