The subgroup of the Parliamentary Taskforce on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) conducted a live briefing session titled “Living Indus Initiative”, under the chairpersonship of its convenor, Syed Hafeez Uddin, MNA, at the SDGs Secretariat in the Parliament House, today. The briefing featured a presentation by a team from United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (UNFAO). The presentation outlined the challenges in restoration of the health of the Indus Water Basin including climate change, degradation of eco-system, unchecked pollution, and overstressed resources amid growing population.
Furthermore, it outlined the 25 interventions including the 8 following interventions prioritized by the Minister of Climate & Change for COP 27. The prioritized interventions included salinity control, legislative measures, green infrastructure for flood control & groundwater recharge, a climate resilient Indus delta and a Living Indus Knowledge Platform on which progress is underway.
Ms. Shaista Pervez Malik, MNA, emphasized the need for financially feasible initiatives to address the worsening pollution and water quality deterioration. She called for raising awareness, particularly among populations living along the Indus River, about the critical situation. Mr. Riaz Fatyana, MNA, while seeking support from international organizations for the restoration of the Indus Water Basin, highlighted the adverse effects of the Indus Water Treaty on the country’s overall usable water capacity.
He also pointed out the negative impact of increasing water scarcity and pollution on both aquatic and terrestrial life.
Ms. Zahra Wadood Fatemi, MNA, stressed the global rise in trade tariffs, which directly impacts the country’s financial capacity to invest in measures for restoring the health of the Indus Basin. She also highlighted the lack of water reservoirs in the country to store rainwater. Additionally, she recommended water conservation efforts and austerity measures to reduce domestic water usage. Ms. Rana Ansar, MNA, emphasized that the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) and the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) should regularly conduct and publish surveys on the country’s water quality and quantity.
This will enable timely action to ensure an adequate supply of clean and usable water for agricultural, industrial, and domestic use. Syed Qasim Ali Gillani, MNA, emphasized the importance of the Pakistani Parliament maintaining effective oversight over initiatives and measures aimed at restoring the Indus River Basin. He also highlighted the need for the development of improved and water-efficient hybrid seeds, expert consultations on enhancing overall soil health, and the adoption of drip irrigation systems in place of conventional irrigation methods.
Mr. Sohail Sultan, MNA, underscored the need to prevent industrial waste from entering the country’s water bodies and rivers, to penalize those responsible for environmental degradation, and to collectively devise strategies for the Federal Government to restore the Indus River Basin.
Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, MNA, highlighted the high wildlife mortality rates—especially that of the blind dolphin in Sindh—caused by water pollution and climate change. She also emphasized the importance of raising awareness among youth, farmers, students, and domestic water consumers, and of collaboratively developing long-term solutions for the restoration of the Indus River Basin—solutions that Parliament must ensure are implemented in both letter and spirit.
In addition, she informed the participants about the initiatives undertaken by the Government of Sindh for water conservation and the provision of drinking water, including the 100 Dams Project and the installation of 100 Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants across the province.
Mr. Tahir Iqbal, MNA, emphasized the need to establish early warning systems for improved disaster management and preparedness; to construct small and medium-sized dams across the country for rainwater conservation and maintaining the water table; to ensure adequate sewage treatment infrastructure in all major cities of Pakistan; to mandate the installation of sewage treatment plants in all housing societies nationwide; and to prioritize and initiate restoration projects for the Indus River Basin that are feasible and contextually appropriate. Mr. Faisal Amin Khan, MNA, while sharing ongoing projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, emphasized the need to install rainwater harvesting wells in homes as micro-measures for water conservation; to effectively utilize small and medium-sized dams across the country, which collectively match the capacity of the Tarbela Dam; and to promote the use of organic fertilizers over conventional ones, which contribute significantly to the toxicity of water bodies and rivers. Mr. Muhammad Khan Daha, MNA, highlighted the harmful practice of dumping sewage waste into nearby canals—a major cause of water pollution—and emphasized the need to develop technologically advanced and feasible methods for proper sewage disposal to curb water pollution and, in turn, environmental degradation.
At the conclusion of the live briefing session, Syed Hafeez Uddin, MNA and Convenor of the Subgroup of the Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs, expressed his appreciation to all MNAs for their active participation. Key recommendations and suggestions from the session included: conducting regular briefings by Parliamentarians on the progress of initiatives aimed at improving the health of the Indus River Basin; fostering increased public-private partnerships to pool resources and finances for its restoration; prioritizing and implementing the most feasible and context-appropriate measures; and receiving a comprehensive briefing from the Ministry of Climate Change in the subgroup’s next meeting.