Pakistan among top countries with ‘inefficient’ agricultural water use: World Bank
Pakistan is among 6 countries with the highest levels of inefficient agricultural water use, contributing to the annual global loss of 324 billion cubic metres(BCM) of freshwater. The reports were published according to the first edition of the global water monitoring report by the World Bank.
In a report titled "Continental Drying: A Threat to Our Common Future," which states that about about one-quarter of inefficient water consumption in rain-fed agriculture and one-third in irrigated agriculture is concentrated in regions experiencing declining freshwater availability. On a national level, the highest share of inefficient agricultural water consumption under drying conditions is observed in Algeria, Cambodia, Mexico, Pakistan, Thailand, Tunisia, and Romania, the report said.
Pakistan has been marked as one among the top countries with inefficient agricultural water use based on the two decades of satellite data enhanced through new modelling techniques, the report provides an unprecedented view of how land and water management decisions are shaping water availability. The study highlights a global shift toward more water-intensive crops over the past 20 years. Among drying countries, 37 have transitioned to water-intensive agriculture, including 22 located in arid and semi-arid regions. The report further revealed that that the world is losing 324 billion cubic metres(BCM) of freshwater every year; this loss of 324 billion cubic metres of freshwater every year is enough to satisfy the needs of 280 million people annually. These losses are driven by worsening droughts and unsustainable practices, including poor pricing policies, weak coordination, deforestation, and wetland degradation.