Country Faces 30% Water Shortage for Sowing Season, Alerts Irsa
Published on: April 4, 2024.
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Pakistan Faces 30% Water Shortage at Start of Rice and Cotton Sowing Season
The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) has announced that Pakistan is currently experiencing a 30% water shortage at the beginning of the sowing season for cash crops like rice and cotton. This shortage is attributed to below-average winter snowfall in the northern areas, impacting the catchment areas of the Indus and Jhelum Rivers that are crucial for irrigation.
The sowing of kharif crops, including rice, maize, sugarcane, and cotton, takes place in April and requires a wet and warm climate with abundant rainfall. However, due to climate change and reduced snowfall, there has been less water available for these crops this year.
According to Muhammad Azam Khan, an assistant researcher with Irsa, the lower snowfall is a result of climate change affecting the country’s glaciers. He emphasized that this will directly affect the availability of water for kharif crops during the summer.
While the water shortage is expected to decrease with the arrival of monsoon rains later in the season, the meteorological department has predicted higher-than-normal temperatures during the monsoon period, leading to increased uncertainty.
Pakistan’s agriculture sector is vital to its economy, contributing around 24% to its GDP. However, the sector has been criticized for its inefficient water usage. In light of the current water shortfall, authorities will need to enhance their water management strategies to optimize the available resources for crop cultivation.
The country has already been grappling with the profound effects of climate change, including shifting and unpredictable weather patterns. In 2022, devastating floods linked to climate change affected over 30 million people and severely impacted the cotton crop.
