Senator Sherry Rehman on Wednesday issued a stark warning on Pakistan’s worsening water insecurity, citing climateinduced threats and India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) as twin challenges jeopardizing the Indus River-Pakistan’s key water source.
Speaking at a highlevel briefing organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on the Summer Contingency Plan 2025, the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination urged swift, unified government action.
‘The Indus River is Pakistan’s lifeline-over 90% of our agriculture depends on it. Yet, it is already under serious stress from climate change, glacial retreat, and now upstream aggression,’ said Senator Rehman. ‘More than 240 million people are essentially being held hostage by these threats.’
She strongly criticized India’s recent declaration placing the IWT ‘in abeyance,’ calling it not only a breach of international law but an act of ‘water and climate weaponisation.’ Rehman stressed that a disrupted flow from mountains to delta could lead to the salinisation of agricultural heartlands, particularly in Sindh, and result in a collapse of food security.
Calling for a joint technical assessment, she urged NDMA to work closely with the Ministry of Climate Change and the Ministry of Water Resources, especially since the Indus Water Commission has not convened in over two years.
NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik presented a detailed overview of Pakistan’s climate vulnerabilities, highlighting an early and volatile monsoon season, increased likelihood of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), and the risk of cloudbursts and windstorms.
‘We are now monitoring climate indicators using data from 270 earth and weather satellites, alongside seismic and oceanic systems,’ he said. NDMA’s new technologies allow disaster forecasting up to ten months in advance, backed by a digital archive dating back to 1900. The authority has also launched a mobile application to issue timely alerts and promote awareness in multiple local languages.
The NDMA revealed Pakistan loses around $4 million annually due to climateintensified disasters and emphasized the integration of over 300 datasets-including population density and infrastructure vulnerability-to improve localized forecasting.
While acknowledging NDMA’s technological strides, Senator Rehman stressed the need for translating these tools into groundlevel action. ‘The real test is not prediction but preparedness,’ she said. ‘We need adaptation where it matters most-in homes, in fields, and within provincial plans.’
She also called for urgent rainwater harvesting initiatives across Pakistan to combat declining groundwater and rising soil salinity. ‘This must be part of the PSDP. It can’t be an afterthought,’ she asserted.
Referring to Sindh’s Resilient Housing Initiative following the 2022 floods, Rehman emphasized moving beyond reactive disaster responses toward building longterm climateresilient infrastructure.
She concluded by commending NDMA’s leadership in datadriven forecasting but urged a ‘wholeofgovernment’ approach. ‘We will keep coming back for followups, and we expect NDMA to return with concrete, actionable updates. We cannot afford complacency-not when our very lifeline, the Indus, is at risk.’
The session was attended by Senators Shahzaib Durrani, Naseema Ehsan, and Quratul Ain Marri, who also contributed to the discussions.