Pakistan is grappling with a worsening water crisis as an unrelenting heatwave and lack of rainfall drive reservoir levels to alarming lows. The Khanpur Dam, vital for irrigation and drinking water in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has just 9.67 feet of usable water left above its dead level, having dropped from 1982 feet to 1919 feet.
With only 25 days of water remaining, irrigation to both provinces has been cut off, leaving canals dry and local orchards suffering. Islamabad and Rawalpindi’s water supply has already been reduced and may run out entirely if inflows, currently at 25 cusecs, don’t improve.
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The dam is releasing more water than it receives, accelerating depletion. Experts warn that, without immediate rainfall, the region could face a critical drinking water shortage, affecting millions.
Officials have declared the situation an emergency, as local agriculture is already bearing heavy losses from the drought.
