Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has underscored the need for strong political will and global leadership to overcome the water crisis posing an existential threat to the nations around the globe.

“Water is the lifeblood of the planet; a cornerstone of economic development, food security, and environmental sustainability,” he said while addressing the One Water Summit on the Margins of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP-16) under the theme “Restore, Preserve, and Adapt” in Riyadh on Tuesday.

The premier expressed his gratitude to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France, and Kazakhstan, as well as the World Bank for organising the timely summit, to deliberate on water security.

“This life-sustaining resource, however, is coming under increasing stress. Nearly half of the world’s population is facing, water scarcity, for at least part of the year. Billions remain, without clean drinking water, as water pollution, is rising, at alarming levels,” he added.

The prime minister underlined that the water resources were fast depleting and degrading which was displacing millions, and causing unprecedented destruction.

“This is not a distant threat, but an alarm bell, for collective action. Pakistan is no stranger to these challenges. Our rivers, glaciers and aquifers are increasingly vulnerable to the impact of climate change, and population growth,” he said.

He apprised the leaders at the summit that Pakistan was still grappling with the 2022, catastrophic floods, that caused, widespread damage, to its water resources and irrigation sector, in addition to affecting, millions of lives and livelihoods.

At the same time, he said droughts posed an equally potent threat to the country.

“Nearly 70% of our land consists of arid and semi-arid areas, and around 30% of our population, is directly affected by drought-like conditions. Projected temperature increases in Pakistan, are significantly higher, than the global average,” he added.

PM Shehbaz highlighted that such catastrophic disasters and challenges were likely to scale up further in the absence of concerted international actions as it was one of the top 10 countries, most vulnerable due to climate change.

While commenting on transboundary water management, he said that water transcended political boundaries, connecting nations and fostering shared ecosystems.

“Pakistan, therefore, attaches great importance to transboundary cooperation. The Indus Water Treaty, which governs, the sharing of the Indus Basin’s waters, is one example of such an arrangement.”

He added that the treaty saw unprecedented challenges in the recent years, due to a number of factors, including construction of upstream dams, whereas its effective functioning was key to maintaining regional peace and stability.

The prime minister also shed light on the ‘Recharge Pakistan’ initiative that aimed to address, climate-induced, flood risks, and mitigate drought impacts, through ecosystem-based adaptations.

“We are also finalising a ‘National Drought Plan’ that identifies, the most drought-affected areas, and proposes, effective response mechanisms, to mitigate, the impact of drought in these areas,” he said.

The prime minister proposed a six-point agenda at the global level to overcome water-related challenges.