Pakistan has called on the international community to recognise water insecurity as a systemic global risk, warning that disruptions in shared river basins threaten food security, livelihoods and regional stability. The appeal was made amid rising tensions with India following New Delhi’s unilateral decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance.
Speaking at a United Nations policy roundtable on global water stress, Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, said water insecurity is no longer a local or regional concern but a global challenge affecting food production, energy systems, public health and human security across regions.
“For Pakistan, this is a lived reality,” Jadoon said, describing the country as a climate-vulnerable, lower-riparian state facing floods, droughts, accelerated glacier melt, groundwater depletion and rapid population growth, all of which are intensifying pressure on already stressed water systems.
Pakistan flags downstream risks after India suspends Indus Waters Treaty
The Pakistani envoy said concerns had deepened since India’s decision last year to unilaterally suspend the operation of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a move Islamabad argues has undermined predictability in river flows and aggravated climate-driven vulnerabilities downstream.
According to Pakistan, the treaty has for decades served as a stabilising framework for equitable water management between the two neighbours. India’s decision to hold it in abeyance, coupled with unannounced flow variations and the withholding of hydrological data, has created what officials describe as an unprecedented challenge to Pakistan’s water security.
Pakistan maintains that the treaty remains legally binding and does not allow for unilateral suspension or modification under international law.
Jadoon noted that the Indus River Basin supports one of the world’s largest contiguous irrigation systems, provides more than 80 per cent of Pakistan’s agricultural water requirements and sustains the livelihoods of over 240 million people.
The issue has gained urgency as Pakistan continues to recover from severe monsoon flooding last year, which killed more than 1,000 people and devastated farmland, particularly in Punjab, the country’s main agricultural region. Officials have described the floods as among the most destructive riverine disasters in recent years.
Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan had observed abrupt variations in river flows originating upstream, creating uncertainty for farmers during critical stages of the agricultural cycle.
While outlining national efforts to strengthen water resilience through integrated planning, flood protection, irrigation rehabilitation, groundwater recharge and ecosystem restoration, Jadoon stressed that domestic action alone could not address transboundary water risks. He cited initiatives such as Living Indus and Recharge Pakistan as steps in the right direction but said broader international cooperation was essential.
“As we move toward the 2026 UN Water Conference, Pakistan believes the process must acknowledge water insecurity as a systemic global risk, place cooperation and respect for international water law at the centre of shared water governance, and ensure that commitments translate into real protection for vulnerable downstream communities,” he said.