Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday pledged parliamentary support through legislation, oversight and budgetary allocations to advance commitments made at Pakistan Water Week 2026, calling water security a national priority.
\nInaugurating the sixth edition of the conference, Gilani said Parliament must ensure that water policies translate into practical improvements for farming communities and people facing floods and shortages.
\nThe five-day event, being held in Islamabad from Nov 2 to 6, focuses on turning commitments into action to strengthen water security and climate-resilient food systems. More than 200 participants attended the opening session.
\nSenate Chairman identified three areas for parliamentary action: enforceable legislation, effective oversight and sustained funding. He called for the full implementation of provincial water laws and stronger groundwater governance.
\nParliament, he said, must ask whether policies were reaching farmers at the tail end of irrigation networks and whether flood warnings were reaching villages in time. Budgets should prioritise prevention alongside disaster relief, he added.
\nThe Senate chairman said solar-powered pumps had provided relief to farmers but needed to be accompanied by rules governing groundwater extraction. He called for careful regulation of aquifers, planned recharge and the use of floodwater to replenish underground reserves.
\nSharing reliable data could help build trust between provinces, he said, adding that women, young people and farming communities must be involved as partners in water management.
\nRecalling his experience as prime minister during the 2010 floods, Mr Gilani said Pakistan faced the twin challenges of devastating floods and declining water availability.
\nHe said the 2022 floods had affected about 33 million people and caused more than $30 billion in damage and economic losses, while nearly seven million people were affected by floods last year. Meanwhile, per capita water availability had fallen from more than 5,000 cubic metres to about 1,000 cubic metres.
\n\u201cToo much water and too little, sometimes in the same districts within the same year,\u201d he said.
\nStressing that \u201cresponse is not resilience\u201d, he questioned whether reconstruction efforts were reducing risks or recreating existing vulnerabilities.
\nMr Gilani also reiterated Pakistan\u2019s position that the Indus Waters Treaty remained valid and binding, saying water must never be used as an instrument of pressure. He called for a water-secure and flood-resilient Pakistan by its centenary in 2047.
\nIWMI Pakistan Country Representative Dr Muhammad Ashraf said water security was closely linked to food security, climate resilience and economic stability. Each conference session should produce a clear commitment, identify responsibility and set a timeline for action, he added.
\nIn his keynote address, IWMI Strategic Programme Director for Water, Food and Ecosystems Dr Mohsin Hafeez said Pakistan had substantial evidence and ideas but needed a shared commitment to put them into practice. Decisions taken in Islamabad must bring tangible changes for farmers, he said.
\nThe conference is organised by IWMI and the CGIAR Policy Innovations Science Program in collaboration with the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources and the Ministry of Water Resources.
\nIts programme includes two thematic tracks, with 13 sessions each, alongside plenaries on development partners\u2019 water and climate priorities and water governance in the Indus Basin. The closing ceremony is scheduled for Nov 5, while the event runs until Nov 6.
\nConcluding his address, Mr Gilani urged participants to consider what their commitments would change for a farmer in Thar, a family living along the Ravi or a child in Quetta waiting for clean water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani on Monday pledged parliamentary support through legislation, oversight and budgetary allocations to advance commitments made at Pakistan Water Week 2026, calling water security a national priority. Inaugurating the sixth edition of the conference, Gilani said Parliament must ensure that water policies translate into practical improvements for farming communities and people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":575518,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-575505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-top-news"],"yoast_head":"\n