A recent report by the Pakistan Council for Research on Water Resources (PCRWR) reveals that the country’s groundwater has declined by over 5.66% in the past eight years.

The report details the extent of groundwater depletion in different provinces. Punjab, the largest province, has been hit particularly hard, with 22.84% of the region now completely deprived of groundwater.

Additionally, 36.17% of Punjab is nearing a critical point where its underground water could be entirely depleted.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is also facing a significant water shortage, with 32.96% of the province having already lost its underground water supply.

Alarmingly, 41.94% of KP is nearing the end of its underground water reserves.

In contrast, Sindh and Balochistan have seen less drastic depletion. Only 0.03% of these provinces have completely lost their underground water, but 0.39% is close to exhaustion.

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The PCRWR report underscores the urgent need for sustainable water management practices to address the rapidly declining water reserves.

Pakistan is already facing a severe , with millions of people lacking access to clean drinking water. The depletion of groundwater will only exacerbate this problem.