Water Resources of

Pakistan
Presentation Layout
1. Rainfall
Monsoon origin, journey, distribution and magnitude
2. Glaciers
Rivers, Dams and Canals network
3. Groundwater
Extraction and TDS status of water
Water Quality
 Punjab
 Sindh

 KPK and Balochistan

Future Implications
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 QUICK Facts
Natural water resources of the country include
rainfall,  glaciers, rivers, ponds, lakes, streams,
and wells. Whereas, artificial resources consist
of the surface water from rainfall and rivers,
excess water other than the requirements for
irrigation and other uses, is stored in dams and
reservoirs.

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QUICK Facts
The Indus River has a total average annual
flow of 146 Million Acre Feet, of which only
106 MAF of water is diverted to canals.
Pakistan receives about 50-80 per cent of
the total average river flows from
snow/glacial melt, while the remaining from
the monsoon rains.

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1.Rainfall
Rainfall in Pakistan is markedly variable in magnitude,
time of occurrence and its aerial distribution.
However, almost two-thirds of the rainfall is concentrated
in the three summer months of July - September.
The mean annual precipitation ranges from less than 100
mm in parts of the Lower Indus Plain to over 750 mm
near the foothills in the Upper Indus Plain.

 In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of

atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravity.
 Rainfall origin
There are two major sources of rainfall in Pakistan: (i) the
Monsoons and (ii) the Western Disturbances.
The Monsoons originate in the Bay of Bengal and usually
reach Pakistan, after passing over India, in early July. They
continue till September. The Indus Plains receive most of
rainfall from Monsoons.
Rainfall season and status
The driest parts of the year are April-June
and October -November.
Pakistan lies in an arid and semi-arid
climate zone.
The entire Indus Plains (canal command
areas) receive an average seasonal rainfall of
212 mm and 53 mm in the kharif and rabi
seasons, respectively.
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9
 Irrigation Infrastructure
The Canal Irrigation System of the Indus Basin comprises the

following infrastructure:
No. of major Reservoirs 3
No. of Barrages 16
No. of Head works 2
No. of Inter-River link Canals 12
No. of Canal Systems 44
CANALS: 23 in Punjab, 14 in Sindh, 5 in NWFP and 2 in
Balochistan
Irrigation Infrastructure
Length of Canals 56,073 km
Length of Watercourses: 1.6 million km
Average Canal Water Diversions 104 MAF

Groundwater Abstractions 50 MAF

No. of Tubewells 1 million
Irrigated Area 36 million acres

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12
Water use in 2000 and projections 2025
120
100
80
MAF

60
40
20
0
Industry W ater supply Agriculture
and
sanitation

W ater use 2000 Requirements 2025

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Land productivity: major crops yields

10
8
Tons/ha

6
4
2
0
Pakistan India Egypt China USA

Wheat Rice Cotton 14

Water productivity-Country Comparative
Analysis
3
2.5
2
tons/ cub. m

1.5
1
0.5
0
Pakistan India California Argentina

Wheat Maize 15
Freshwater availability scenario (Per
person)
Global
1950 – 16,800 cubic meters per annum
2000 – 6,800 cubic meters per annum
Reduction: 60 % in 50 years
Pakistan
1950 – 5,300 cubic meters per annum
2000 – 1,200 cubic meters per annum !!!!
Reduction: 77 % in 50 years
2. Glaciers and Rivers
The catchment area of the Indus Basin contains some
of the largest glaciers in the world, outside the Polar
Regions.
The glacial area of the upper Indus catchment is about
2,250 Km2 and accounts for most of the river runoff in
summer.
The Kabul River, which is mainly snow-fed, originates
from the Unai Pass of the Southern Hindukush at an
elevation of 3,000 m above sea level.
It drains eastern Afghanistan and then enters Pakistan
just north of the Khyber Pass.
Glacier and origin of rivers
The Jhelum River rises in Kashmir at a much lower
elevation than the source of the Indus River.
The Chenab River originates in the Himachal
Pardesh in India, at an elevation of over 4,900
masl.
It flows through Jammu in Indian-held Kashmir
and enters Pakistani territory upstream of the
Marala Barrage.
Mighty Indus
The Indus originates in the northern slopes of the
Kailash range in Tibet near Lake Manasarovar. It follows
a north-westerly course through Tibet. It enters Indian
territory in Jammu and Kashmir. The exact source is
still not known however, it is said to be near
Mansarovar/ Lake Mapam. 

The major tributaries of the Indus are: The Zanskar, the

Chenab (which itself has four major tributaries, namely,
the Jhelum, the Ravi, the Beas and the Sutlej), the Shyok,
the Gilgit, the Kabul, the Gomal and the Kurram.

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 IBRS Flow in History
River Average Annual Flow Average Annual Flow Average Annual Flow
(1922-61) MAF (1985-95) MAF (2001-02) MAF

Indus
93 62.7 48.0
Jhelum
23 26.6 11.85
Chenab
26 27.5 12.38
Ravi
7 5.0 1.47
Sutlej
14 3.6 0.02
Kabul
26 23.4 18.9
Total
189.0 148.8 92.62
1. Mangla with a gross storage capacity of 5.88 MAF
2. Tarbela with 11.62 MAF
 Indus River Network
The snow and ice melt from the glacial area of
the Upper Indus catchment supply approximately
80% of the total flow of the Indus River in the
summer season.
Kabul River starts to rise approximately a month
earlier than the main stem of the Indus.
Kabul is significant for fulfilling the late-rabi
early-kharif (March to May) irrigation
requirements of the canals.
Indus River Network
Snowmelt accounts for more than 50% of the flow
in the Jhelum River. Jhelum is much more
dependent on the variable monsoon runoff.
Both, the Jhelum and Chenab River catchments
simultaneously depend on the Monsoons.
However, the Chenab River rises at higher
altitudes, snowmelt accounts for a considerable
proportion of its runoff.
Indus Formation
Indus river system is the main source of surface
water in Pakistan, most likely was created some fifty
million years ago, when the Indian Plate
(Gondwanaland) first collided with Eurasia
(Angaraland).
Between the two plates was the Tethys Sea, which
was shallow and sandy and up-folded to form the
great Himalayan Mountains in the Mesozoic era.
An unbroken snow cover of mountains have
become the primary source of water to the Indus
system.
 IBRS Flow in History
River Average Annual Average Annual Average Annual
Flow Flow Flow
(1922-61) MAF (1985-95) MAF (2001-02) MAF
Indus
93 62.7 48.0
Jhelu
m 23 26.6 11.85
Chena
b 26 27.5 12.38
Ravi
7 5.0 1.47
Sutlej
14 3.6 0.02
Kabul
26 23.4 18.9
Total
189.0 148.8 92.62
 Short History of Dams
Before independence, there were only three dams
in Pakistan, and none on the major rivers.
Khushdil Khan Dam 1890
Namal Dam 1913
Spin Karaiz 1945
The construction of dams in Pakistan was
initiated in 1955, when the country was facing an
acute power shortage. Work on the Warsak Dam
on Kabul River near Peshawar was undertaken.

Since then constant debate goes on…..!

DAMS Capacity
When India stopped water supplies to the
network of canals in Pakistan, it became
imperative to build large storages and link
canals to restore water to the affected canal
system-1960 IWT.
Mangla with a gross storage capacity of 5.88
MAF
Tarbela with 11.62 MAF
Per Capita Storage Capacity in different Countries

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3. SURFACE WATER
The accounting of surface water resources in the Indus
System is based on river inflows measured at Rim Stations.
Rim station is defined as “a control structure (reservoir,
barrage, etc.) on the river just when the river enters into
Pakistani territory or upstream of the canal-irrigated Indus
Plains of Punjab and Sindh Provinces”.
The rim stations for the Indus System rivers are the Kalabagh
Barrage/Tarbela Reservoir for the main Indus
Mangla Reservoir for the Jhelum River,
Marala Barrage for the Chenab River and
Balloki and Sulemanki Barrages for the Ravi and Sutlej Rivers.
Indus and Tributaries Status
The Indus River and its tributaries, on an average,
bring 154 MAF of water annually.
This includes 144.91 MAF from the three Western
rivers and 9.14 MAF from the Eastern rivers.
Most of this, about 104.73 MAF, is diverted for
irrigation.
About 39.4 MAF flows to the sea and
About 9.9 MAF is consumed by the system losses
which include evaporation, seepage and spills during
floods.
GROUNDWATER –
HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT
Exploitation of Groundwater is 59 BCM
Over 9,00,000 private tubewells 40% of total
supply at farm-gate

These tubewells compensated the loss of

pumping capacity of the SCARP tubewells
and helped in lowering the water table.
 GROUNDWATER STATUS
This is mostly used as supplemental
irrigation water and pumped through
tubewells.
Some groundwater is saline, hard/breakish.
Water from the saline tube wells is generally
put into drains and, where this is not possible,
it is discharged into large canals for use in
irrigation, after diluting with the fresh canal
water.
 Groundwater Status
In the last 25- 30 years, ground water has become a major
supplement to canal supplies, especially in the Upper
Indus Plain, where ground water quality is good. Large
scale tubewell pumpage for irrigation started in the early
sixties.
There are presently more than 500,000 tubewells in the
Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS) and the annual
pumpage in all canal command areas has been estimated
to be over 50 BCM. According to a study, the total
groundwater potential in Pakistan is of the order of 55
MAF.
 Groundwater and TDS Level
Major part of the groundwater abstraction for irrigation
is within the canal commands or in the flood plains of
the rivers. However, the amount of abstraction varies
throughout the area, reflecting inadequacy/unreliability
of surface water supplies and groundwater quality
distribution.
The quality of groundwater ranges from fresh (salinity
less than 1000 mg/l TDS) near the major rivers to highly
saline farther away, with salinity more than 3000 mg/l
TDS. The general distribution of fresh and saline
groundwater in the country is well known and mapped,
as it influences the options for irrigation and drinking
water supplies.
Water quality

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Punjab
About 79% of the Punjab province has access to fresh
groundwater. Some 9.78 million acres are underlain with
groundwater of less than 1000 mg/l TDS, 3 million acres with
salinity ranging from 1000 to 3000 mg/l TDS and 3.26 million
acres with salinity more than 3000 mg/l TDS.
Saline waters are mostly encountered in the central Doab areas.
The Cholistan area in southern Punjab is well known for highly
brackish waters, which can not be used for drinking purposes.
Groundwater with high fluoride content is found in the Salt
Range, Kasur and Mianwali. There are also reports of high
fluoride content, ranging from 65 to 12 mg/l in groundwater in
the Bahawalpur area. Samplings of groundwater in Jhelum,
Gujrat and Sargodha districts have shown concentrations of
arsenic well above the WHO guideline value of 50 g/l.
Sindh
Around 28% of the Sindh province has access to fresh
groundwater suitable for irrigation i.e. the water has less
than 1000 mg/l TDS. Close to the edges of the irrigated
lands, fresh groundwater can be found at 20 - 25 m
depth. Large areas in the province are underlain with
groundwater of poor quality. Indiscriminate pumping
has resulted in contamination of the aquifer at many
places where the salinity of tubewell water has increased.
The areas with non-potable, highly brackish water
include Thar, Nara and Kohistan. In Tharparkar and
Umarkot, the situation is further complicated by the
occurrence of high fluoride in the groundwater.
KPK and Balouchistan
In KPK, abstraction in excess of recharge in certain areas such
as Karak, Kohat, Bannu and D.I. Khan has lowered the water
table and resulted in the contamination from underlying saline
water.

The Makran coastal zone and several other basins contain

highly brackish groundwater. Local communities use
groundwater with TDS as high as 3000 mg/l, for drinking
purposes, as there are no alternatives. In Mastung Valley, the
groundwater has been found to have high fluoride content.
The Makran coast and Kharan have also been reported to have
high fluoride groundwater.
FUTURE
Government expenditure in the water sector has randomly
fluctuated since independence, because the allocation of funds
for the development of the sector have not observed consistent
growth patterns. Also, the relative priority of water sector has
changed during various government regimes. The expenditure
in the water sector as accrued during the 5-year development
plans of the government are shown in the graph below:
The goals of the government for the development of water
resources are reflected in the WAPDA Vision 2025 document,
which stipulates the addition of 64 MAF of storage capacity
and about 27,000 MW of additional power - mainly through
hydel sources, by the year 2025. The estimated investment for
Vision 2025 will be $50 billion spread over the next 25 years.
 Pakistan’s Water availability
Availability of water per capita in Pakistan is
decreasing every day due to increasing population,
economic development and other factors.
Pakistan’s population has grown from a mere 30
million in 1947 to about 200 million in 2015.
As a result, water availability has decreased from 5000
cubic metres per capita in 1951 to less than 1000 m³ per
capita now, making us a water- scarce country.
 Contribution of Agriculture in
Pakistan’s Economy
Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy:
- 23% of GDP comes from agriculture.
- It is vital for our food security.
- It is the main source of sustenance for our rural
population forming 55% of the whole.
- Employs more than 50% of our labour force.
- Supports our largest crops of wheat and cotton and
large industries like textile and sugar.
- Our main exports are based on agriculture.
 (Contd…) Contribution of Agriculture in
Pakistan’s Economy
Most important crops are wheat, sugarcane, cotton,
and rice, which together account for more than 75% of
the total crop output in value.
Pakistan is a net food exporter, exporting rice, cotton,
fish, fruits and vegetables.
As Pakistan has an arid climate its agriculture is
heavily dependent on canal irrigation.
Groundwater is another important source of irrigation
water.
 Water for Irrigation
Most of the irrigated agriculture takes place in the
Indus Plain.
The area is served by the largest integrated canal
irrigation system in the world.
It is dependent on the river Indus and its tributaries.
Ninety-three percent of our harnessed water from this
river system is used for irrigation.
The remaining 7% meets all other needs like drinking
and domestic water supply, industry, energy and
environment etc.
 Pakistan’s Irrigation Needs
Pakistan receives an average of 144 Million Acre Feet
(MAF) of fresh water annually from the Indus River
system comprising the Indus main and its tributaries.
Out of this 104 MAF is diverted to the canal irrigation
system of the Indus Basin.
Another 50 MAF of water used for irrigation and
domestic water supply is drawn from groundwater
sources.
 Challenges on the Water Front
Dwindling water availability.
Inadequate storage capacity.
Outdated and wasteful irrigation practices.
Traditional high water consuming agricultural practices.
Unregulated groundwater pumping.
Water quality.
Lack of water budgeting and water conservation.
Inadequate financial resources for O&M of water infrastructure
and development of water resources.
Climate change impacts.
Absence of regional cooperation in water resources management.

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