All of us need to realize that water scarcity is not just an environmental issue. It is a ticking time bomb for massive social unrest

For international financing institutions, the choice is clear it is only to uphold the principles of equity and sustainability or risk complicity in a humanitarian catastrophe. The people of Sindh are watching

 Zaheer Udin Babar Junejo

Thousands of Sindh’s residents have taken to the streets this week, blocking highways and staging sit-ins outside government offices, as frustration over crippling water shortages reaches a boiling point. Protesters, farmers, laborers, students, and civil society groups are demanding immediate action to address what they call a “political disaster” fueled by mismanagement, climate change, and alleged complicity by international institutions. At the heart of the uproar are widespread rumors that the International funding agencies are funding an undisclosed infrastructure project upstream, which activists claim could further divert the Indus River’s dwindling flow away from Sindh.  In main cities like Karachi, and Hyderabad, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, crowds marched with banners reading, “Save the Indus, Save Sindh,” while in rural Thatta, farmers burned effigies of policymakers accused of ignoring their plight. “For three years, my fields have turned to dust. My children are migrating to cities because there’s no water to grow crops,” said Ali Hassan, a farmer from Sukkur. “If the Indus dies, we die with it.”  The protests reflect decades of simmering grievances. Sindh, home to 50 million people, contributes 30% of Pakistan’s agricultural output but receives less than its fair share of water under the 1991 Water Apportionment Accord. With the Indus’ flow declining by 40% over the past 50 years due to climate change and upstream dams, Sindh’s cities and farms are parched. Karachi, a megacity of 16 million, faces daily water rationing, while 60% of the province’s groundwater is now too saline for use, according to the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR).

The Indus, which originates in the Himalayas, relies on glacial melt for 50% of its flow. But rising temperatures have caused Himalayan glaciers to lose 15% of their ice since the 1970s, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). Erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts have worsened the crisis, leaving Sindh’s reservoirs at just 20% capacity this summer.

Protesters accuse Punjab Province and India of “stealing” Sindh’s water through massive dams and diversions. Under the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, India controls the eastern rivers, while Pakistan relies on the western rivers, including the Indus. However, India’s hydropower projects on the Chenab and Jhelum have reduced downstream flow. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s own Tarbela and Mangla dams, built to store water, have lost 36% of their capacity due to sedimentation, per PCRWR.  “The system is rigged against Sindh,” says Fatima Shah, a hydrologist at Sindh University. “When Punjab overdraws water during droughts, Sindh’s share vanishes. Now, secretive projects could make this theft permanent.”   Amid the chaos, a new flashpoint has emerged, allegations that the World Bank is financing additional canals projects upstream. While details remain murky, protesters point to the Bank’s $1 billion Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) loan in 2022 for “water resource management” as a red flag.

“Why is the World Bank funding projects that could harm 50 million people?” asked Mir Mohammad, a Tharparkar-based activist. “If these projects are illegal or violate the 1991 Accord, the Bank is enabling ecological destruction and human rights violations.”   The World Bank’s stated mission to promote “sustainable development” and “shared prosperity” appears at odds with these allegations. The Bank has not confirmed any direct funding for disputed projects, but its silence has fueled anger. In a press release last month, the Bank reiterated its commitment to “equitable water access” but did not address Sindh-specific concerns.

Civil society groups argue that any project affecting transboundary or interprovincial water resources must undergo rigorous environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), as mandated by the Bank’s safeguards. “Approving projects without consulting Sindh’s stakeholders is a betrayal,” says Ahmed Rind of the Sindh Water Committee. In rural Sindh, the human toll is visceral. At a protest camp in Dadu, women described walking 10 kilometers daily to fetch contaminated water. “Our children are sick with diarrhea, but the government says there’s no money for filtration plants,” said Parveen Bibi, a mother of six.

Farmers, who form 70% of Sindh’s workforce, face ruin. The World Bank estimates that flood irrigation wastes 50% of Pakistan’s water, yet Sindh lacks drip irrigation systems. “I’ve switched from rice to millet, but even that needs water,” said Gul Mohammad, whose family has farmed for generations. “If the Indus dries up, our culture dies with it.”

Protesters and civil society groups have issued four demands:

1. The international agencies must suspend financing for any project linked to upstream dams or canals until independent audits confirm compliance with the 1991 Accord and environmental laws.
2. A transparent, international inquiry must determine whether funded projects violate the rights of downstream communities.
3. The funding agencies should use its platform to advocate for Sindh at the UN and other global forums.
4. Redirect resources to climate-resilient infrastructure in Sindh, such as desalination plants, recharge dams, and efficient irrigation.

The Sindh government, meanwhile, remains mired in dysfunction. Corruption scandals plague the provincial irrigation department, and critics accuse Karachi’s political elite of prioritizing industrial water contracts over rural needs. “Our leaders have sold our water rights,” claimed almost every protester on the road.  All of us need to realize that water scarcity is not just an environmental issue, it is a ticking time bomb for massive social unrest. For international financing institutions, the choice is clear it is only to uphold the principles of equity and sustainability or risk complicity in a humanitarian catastrophe.  The people of Sindh are watching.