SDG 6 in Pakistan: Struggles and Progress on Clean Water Access
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 aims to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” by 2030. It recognizes the essential role of clean water and sanitation in maintaining health, reducing poverty, and promoting sustainable development.
Key Points of SDG 6
Universal access to safe and affordable drinking water (Target 6.1):
Ensure that everyone has access to clean, safe, and affordable drinking water.
Access to adequate sanitation and hygiene (Target 6.2)
Ensure everyone has access to adequate sanitation and hygiene, paying special attention to vulnerable groups, including women and girls.
Improve water quality by reducing pollution (Target 6.3)
Reduce water pollution by minimizing the release of hazardous chemicals and materials, reducing untreated wastewater, and substantially increasing recycling.
Increase water-use efficiency and ensure sustainable withdrawals (Target 6.4):
Improve the efficient use of water in all sectors to ensure sustainable withdrawals.
Integrated water resources management (Target 6.5)
Implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including transboundary cooperation.
Protect and restore water-related ecosystems (Target 6.6):
Safeguard and restore ecosystems such as rivers, wetlands, lakes, and aquifers.
Expand international cooperation (Target 6.A):
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.
Enhance capacity-building (Target 6.B)
Strengthen the capacity of developing countries for water- and sanitation-related activities and programs.
Pakistan’s Situation: Statistics, Progress, and Challenges
1. Access to Clean Water and Sanitation
Pakistan remains one of the most water-stressed countries globally, with millions lacking reliable access to clean drinking water. According to the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP), Pakistan ranks among the top ten nations with the lowest access to safe water near homes. Only 50.6% of the population had access to clean water in 2022, marking a modest increase from 49.6% in 2021 and 48.5% in 2020. “Improved water sources”—such as piped systems, boreholes, protected wells, and delivered water—remain insufficiently available, especially in rural and low-income areas. Contamination from faecal matter and industrial pollutants further reduces the safety of available water, posing severe risks to public health and sustainable development.
“Where clean water is scarce, every drop becomes a measure of justice.”
2. Water Quality
Out of 122 countries, Pakistan ranks 80th for drinking water availability, which is quite alarming (Azizullah et al., 2011). Water scarcity and contaminated drinking water have become an emerging national security challenge for Pakistan.
Water Availability
Pakistan’s per capita water availability has fallen to below 1,000 cubic meters annually, signaling a shift from water-stressed to water-scarce status. This represents a sharp decline from 5,600 cubic meters in 1947, underscoring the growing severity of the nation’s water crisis. The Indus River Basin, Pakistan’s primary source of freshwater, faces mounting pressure due to climate change, over-extraction, and inefficient irrigation systems, which collectively threaten the country’s agricultural productivity and long-term water security. With annual water availability now less than half the capacity of an Olympic swimming pool per person, the urgency for effective water governance, conservation, and sustainable management has never been greater.
“When rivers run thin, nations must learn to flow wisely.”
4. Progress Toward SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation in Pakistan
Pakistan has made measurable progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which focuses on ensuring water and sanitation for all by 2030. Currently, around 90% of the population has access to drinking water; however, only 36% of this supply is considered safe for human consumption. Access to basic sanitation services has improved from 40% in 2015 to 68% in 2020, while open defecation has declined significantly—from 39% to 7% of the population. Moreover, 85% of households now have handwashing facilities with soap and water, and 38% of domestic wastewater is safely treated.
To accelerate progress, the government has launched initiatives such as the Clean Green Pakistan Movement and the Pakistan Water Policy (2018), promoting water conservation, hygiene, and sustainable sanitation practices. The Sustainable Development Goal Policy Support System (PSS) further enables policymakers to assess indicators, identify capacity gaps, and allocate resources effectively for continuous improvement.
Challenges to Achieving SDG 6 in Pakistan
1. Population Growth and Urbanization
Pakistan is experiencing rapid population growth and urbanization, and is one of the most urbanized countries in South Asia:
Population growth
Pakistan’s population growth rate stands at 1.52% in 2024, driven largely by limited access to family planning services and inadequate awareness of birth control, particularly in rural communities. This rapid demographic expansion places significant pressure on water, food, housing, and health systems. Concurrently, urbanization is accelerating, with the urban population rising from 17% in 1951 to 41.7% in 2021. According to UN projections, nearly half of Pakistan’s population will reside in urban areas by 2025, intensifying the demand for sustainable urban infrastructure and efficient public services. Managing this dual challenge of population growth and urban expansion requires integrated planning, investment in reproductive health education, and equitable resource distribution across regions.
Urbanization in provinces
Sindh is the most urbanized province in Pakistan, with 52.02% of its population living in urban areas.
Urbanization challenges
Pakistan’s urbanization has brought major challenges, including the need for safe cities. The Safe Cities project has created an Integrated Command, Control & Communication Programme (IC3) to improve response times, service delivery, and crowd management
2. Climate Change and Water Scarcity
Pakistan is confronting an escalating water crisis, transitioning rapidly from being water-stressed to water-scarce. With annual per capita water availability falling below 1,000 cubic metres, the country may have already crossed the scarcity threshold. To illustrate, the water available per person annually in Pakistan would not even fill half of an Olympic swimming pool.
Nearly 92% of Pakistan’s land area is classified as semi-arid to arid, and the majority of its population depends on surface and groundwater from a single source—the Indus River Basin. Since independence in 1947, Pakistan’s population has quadrupled, and by 2100, it is projected to increase tenfold, placing immense pressure on limited water resources. Around 90% of agricultural output relies on irrigation from the Indus Basin Irrigation System, linking the nation’s food security directly to water availability. Compounding this challenge, Pakistan’s water storage capacity can sustain only a 30-day supply, far below the recommended 1,000-day reserve for countries with similar climatic conditions.
3. Poor Infrastructure and Management
Pakistan’s water crisis is due to several factors, including poor water management and infrastructure, and is exacerbated by climate change and rapid population growth:
Poor infrastructure
Pakistan’s irrigation infrastructure is poor, and the country has low water storage capacity. Pakistan continues to have problems managing its water resources despite established frameworks and rules. The challenges include insufficient collaboration and coordination among governing bodies, enforcement of water allocation regulations, water scarcity, and quality concerns, limited adoption of modern irrigation technologies, inefficiencies in agricultural practices, and a lack of public involvement in decision-making (Bartram and Ballance, 1996Immerzeel et al., 2009
, Kalair et al., 2019).
4. Water Pollution
Industrial waste, pesticide runoff, and untreated sewage contribute significantly to water pollution in Pakistan. Weak regulations and enforcement regarding water quality standards aggravate this situation.Water pollution in Pakistan is currently at an alarming stage, with ~80% of the population forced to drink contaminated water, whereas only 20% have the luxury of access to clean drinking water (Daud et al., 2017)
5. Governance and Institutional Challenges
Pakistan faces several challenges with water management, including poor governance, inadequate infrastructure, and overexploitation of groundwater:
Poor governance
A lack of political leadership, policy processes, and stakeholder engagement is a major factor in Pakistan’s ineffective climate-water action.
Inadequate infrastructure
Poor infrastructure is a primary challenge in managing water resources in Pakistan.
Overexploitation of groundwater
Overexploitation of groundwater has caused severe water table decline in most canal command areas in Punjab and Sindh provinces.
Demand and supply gap
The increase in population has caused a demand and supply gap in the judicious utilization of available water
Fragmented water governance is a critical barrier, with responsibilities spread across various federal and provincial bodies. Lack of coordination between these entities leads to inefficient policy implementation.
6. Financial Constraints:
Pakistan faces significant financial constraints in achieving SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) due to a lack of sufficient public funding, uneven distribution of resources, inadequate investment in water infrastructure, and the need to prioritize other critical needs like debt servicing, making it difficult to allocate adequate funds towards achieving the SDG 6 targets.
Key points about financial constraints in Pakistan regarding SDG 6
Insufficient public spending:
The government’s current budget allocation for water projects is often not enough to cover the necessary investments required to reach universal access to safe water and sanitation.
Unequal distribution of funds
Funding for water projects can be unevenly distributed across different regions, with rural.
High operational cost
areas often receive less attention compared to urban centers.
Maintaining and upgrading existing water infrastructure can be costly, further straining available funds.
Debt burden
Pakistan’s progress toward SDG 6—clean water and sanitation for all—is constrained by several financial and structural challenges. The country’s high debt burden limits fiscal space, restricting public investment in critical water supply and sanitation infrastructure. Additionally, frequent natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, and glacial melt events, divert financial and human resources away from long-term infrastructure development toward immediate relief and recovery efforts. While private sector participation could strengthen water governance and financing, weak regulatory frameworks, limited incentives, and unclear investment policies discourage large-scale private engagement. Together, these constraints highlight the need for innovative financing mechanisms and stronger public–private partnerships to build climate-resilient and sustainable water systems.
Consequences of these constraints:
Limited access to clean water
Many people in Pakistan, particularly in rural areas, still lack access to safe drinking water due to inadequate infrastructure and funding.
7. Awareness and Behavior Change
Raising awareness about the importance of water conservation and sanitation practices is a significant challenge, particularly in rural areas where hygiene practices and water usage habits need improvement.
Conclusion
Despite notable progress, Pakistan continues to face significant challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6). The country struggles with inequitable access to clean water, increasing water scarcity, and inadequate sanitation infrastructure, particularly in rural and peri-urban areas. Weak institutional coordination, fragmented governance, and insufficient investment in water infrastructure exacerbate these issues. Furthermore, the impacts of climate change, including erratic rainfall and glacial melt, intensify stress on already limited water resources. Addressing these challenges requires comprehensive policy frameworks, robust monitoring mechanisms, and enhanced community engagement to promote equitable and sustainable water management.
