Karachi is on the brink of an acute water crisis as its main freshwater sources — Keenjhar Lake, Hub Dam, and underground aquifers — face rapid depletion due to unsustainable extraction, climate change, and mismanagement. At a WWF-Pakistan workshop in Karachi, President Nadeem Khalid called these sources “lifelines” for millions, stressing their role in sustaining agriculture, biodiversity, and entire communities. Senior WWF official Dr. Masood Arshad warned that surging population, industrial expansion, and poor governance are compounding the crisis, with groundwater overuse degrading fragile ecosystems like the Indus Delta and Ravi River.
Sohail Ali Naqvi, WWF-Pakistan’s Director of Freshwater, said water scarcity is already reshaping urban life, and nature-based solutions — from wetlands to wastewater reuse — offer a path to resilience. A new five-year project, backed by GSK, will target Karachi, Keenjhar Lake, and Lahore with integrated infrastructure and ecological restoration. Participants urged cross-sector collaboration, improved governance, and smarter water use to avert a full-scale urban water emergency.
