Saleem Shaikh
Pakistan’s climate vulnerability is no longer an abstract warning; it is a lived reality. Ranked among the world’s most climate-exposed and water-stressed countries, Pakistan is confronting a quieter but more persistent emergency: the erosion of its water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) systems under climate pressure. Floods, droughts, heatwaves and erratic rainfall are not only damaging infrastructure but exposing deep governance failures that leave millions without safe water or sanitation.
The devastating floods of recent years provide a stark illustration. In Sindh alone, nearly half of rural water supply schemes became non-functional, thousands of small treatment plants were destroyed and most remaining water sources were contaminated. This devastation was not simply the result of extreme weather. It reflected systems designed for a climate that no longer exists, compounded by fragmented governance and chronic underinvestment in resilience.
Despite repeated disasters, WASH continues to be treated as a peripheral development concern rather than as essential climate and public health infrastructure. This neglect carries enormous social and economic costs. Unsafe water and poor sanitation fuel waterborne diseases, raise healthcare spending, disrupt education and reduce productivity — losses that far exceed the cost of preventive investment.
Governance failures lie at the heart of the problem. After the 18th Constitutional Amendment devolved responsibility for water and sanitation to the provinces, coordination between federal policy and provincial implementation weakened considerably. Provinces now operate with different standards, monitoring systems and service delivery models, while the federal government retains policy oversight without effective enforcement tools.
This fragmentation becomes particularly dangerous during climate emergencies, when water systems fail simultaneously across provincial boundaries. Without national coordination, economies of scale are lost, technical learning remains siloed and responses become reactive rather than preventive. Stakeholders involved in recent policy dialogues organized by the Health Services Academy with support from WaterAid Pakistan highlighted that while Pakistan has policies and strategies, it lacks an effective mechanism to align and operationalize them.
Financing challenges exacerbate governance weaknesses in Pakistan’s WASH sector. Nearly 70 per cent of funding comes from external donors, while domestic investment remains far below international benchmarks. This dependence leaves systems vulnerable to shifting priorities and short project cycles, often resulting in failing infrastructure once projects end. Rural and marginalized communities bear the greatest burden, with poor sanitation, minimal water quality monitoring and women and children facing lost time, health risks and reduced educational and economic opportunities. Climate stress further deepens these inequalities.
Solutions exist. Policy dialogues highlight reform pathways rooted in Pakistan’s institutional experience. One widely supported proposal is the creation of a National WASH Coordination Authority, modelled on inter-provincial coordination achieved by the National Command and Operation Centre during Covid-19. This body could harmonize standards, share data and coordinate climate-resilient investments across provinces. Technology and community-led models offer additional promise.
Digital platforms enable real-time monitoring and rapid response to system failures, while initiatives like the Orangi Pilot Project demonstrate how community ownership can deliver low-cost, sustainable sanitation. Climate-resilient WASH is inseparable from healthcare resilience, as floods and heatwaves routinely overwhelm health facilities lacking reliable water and sanitation.
—The writer is a climate policy advocacy analyst, research scholar and former media fellow at WaterAid-Pakistan and UNFCCC.
