3. INDUS, PAKISTAN  

At WWF, we believe a multi-stakeholder approach to corporate water stewardship at basin level holds the answer to key water challenges. As thought leaders in water stewardship, we aim to deliver strategies in WWF priority rivers by leveraging our local expertise in more than 100 basins and tools like the Water Risk Filter. The Indus is one of 16 such priority basins.

INITIATING BASIN-LEVEL WATER STEWARDSHIP  

KEY FACTS Area: 1,100,000 sq. km

Population: 180 million Contribution to GDP: >80% Key Sectors:

Agriculture Textile & Leather Pulp & Paper Sugar mills                                 Chemicals   Pharmaceuticals  

Importance of the Indus

The Indus River is the lifeline of Pakistan's 160 million people; it notably provides 80 per cent of irrigation water in Pakistan, through the largest irrigation system in the world.

§ Punjab is the breadbasket and manufacturing powerhouse of Pakistan. It houses 60 per cent of the country’s SMEs and contributes nearly 60 per cent to national GDP.

§ The basin features rich biodiversity including birds, endemic fish species and the Indus river dolphin.

§ The Indus consists of many threatened riverine habitats, a few of which have been designated as Ramsar wetlands of international importance.

©  Ghulam

 Rasool/  WWF-­‐Pakistan

 

The Indus river basin is one of the largest in Asia, spanning across parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and China. In an area that is more than 30 per cent arid, it supports a population of 180 million. In the short term, WWF will focus on the province of Punjab in Pakistan, as pilot for broader work in the basin.

Surface water pollution

Groundwater depletion  

The  disposal  of  untreated  urban  sewage,  industrial  effluent,  and  agricultural  runoff.   Intensive  irrigation  preventing  sufficient  recharge  of  aquifers,  combined  with  the  current  and  projected  population  growth.  

Climate change   Climate  change  caused  by  carbon  emissions  reduces  the  availability  of  surface  water.  

KEY ISSUES  

CAUSES  1

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Export-oriented industries in  industrial  zones  require  water  and  generate  pollution.  The  textile  sector  accounts  for  8%  of  GDP,  leather  5%  and  sugar  0.7%.    Key  players:  Pulp  &  paper  SMEs,  sugar  mills,  textile  &  leather  plants.  Key  risks:  Industrial  plants  are  depleting  groundwater  and  releasing  untreated  effluents  in  the  river  system,  harming  the  agricultural  sector,  as  well  as  rendering  themselves  unsustainable.    

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Export-oriented agricultural sector  in  sugarcane  and  cotton  where  cotton  contributes  6.7  percent  in  agriculture  value  as  an  important  source  of  raw  material  to  the  textile  industry.  Key  players:  Large-­‐scale  commercial  landowners  growing  water  intensive  crops  for  export  (e.g.  wheat,  rice,  sugarcane,  cotton)    Key  risks:  Inefficient  irrigation  is  depleting  surface  water  resources  for  agricultural  crops,  but  also  critical  to  replenish  groundwater  source  critical  for  domestic  and  industrial  users  in  Lahore.    

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Domestic users  Key  players:  All  population  centers.    Key  risks:  Lack  of  domestic  sewage  treatment  results  in  further  pollution    of  the  river  system,  threatening  farming  downstream.  Population  growth  in  Pakistan  is  expected  to  cause  accelerated  depletion  of  groundwater  sources,  and  untenable  pollution  levels  in  surface  water.  

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KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND SHARED RISKS INDUS, PAKISTAN

Next steps and how to join us

WWF is preparing a detailed action plan to bring collective action at scale in the Punjab region as soon as possible. This will include mapping international supply chains for all four key polluting industries, involving international buyers to initiate the discussion around better practices and clean technologies, the financial sector to fund such upgrades, as well as donors to support capacity building and the operation of the Lahore City-wide Partnership, hand in hand with government and academia in Pakistan.

For  more  information  contact  ahsayed@wwf.org.pk    Please  visit  www.waterriskfilter.org  or  www.wwfpak.org/wsp  

A solution for the Indus With   a   deep-­‐rooted   network   in   Punjab   province,  WWF   is   working   on   the   City-­‐Wide   Partnership   for   Sustainable  Water  Use  and  Water  Stewardship  in  SMEs  in  Lahore.  WWF's  objective  is  to  improve  environmental  sustainability,  and  to  support  sustainable  economic  growth  and  development  in  Pakistan.  Key  steps  include:    

§ Engage  with   25+   SMEs   in   high   impact   sectors   (textile,   tanneries,   sugar  mills,   pulp  &   paper)   in   Punjab   to  build  the  case  for  better  water  practices  in  Pakistan.  

§ Build  awareness  and  capacity  to  replicate  better  water  practices  across  Punjab.  § Involve  academia  and  conduct  research  on  water  stewardship  concepts  and  elements.    § Create   platforms   to   support   implementation   of   broad-­‐based   improvements   in   water   use,   and   to   lobby  

government  to  improve  public  policy  and  governance.    

KEY

INDUS BASIN

We envision an inclusive process. If you are a donor agency or a development bank with interest in the basin's sustainable development, a multinational company with links to the basin or an organisation working on related issues, please get in touch.

Major international brands rely  on  textile  and  leather  plants  in  the  basin.    Key  players:  International  furniture,  clothing  and  apparel  businesses.  Key  Risks:  Significant  reputational  risk,  supply  chains  could  face  disruption  if  any  risks  to  industry  materialize.    

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