Water security cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan

As rain patterns become irregular around the world, new challenges have emerged in the shape of cyclones, floods and droughts. At the same time, available underground water resources are under stress while an ever increasing global demand for food makes judicious use of water necessary. Side by side, global awareness about these issues is increasing as depicted most recently in the One Water Summit held last week in Riyadh, and co-sponsored by France, Kazakhstan, the World Bank and Saudi Arabia. The sponsoring parties highlight the international importance of the water issue in the world today. COP 16 in the context of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification was simultaneously held on the margins of the One Water Summit.

In his welcome address, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman stressed the need for international collaborative efforts to ensure the sustainable use of water globally. He particularly referred to the issues of drought and desertification, which seriously impact human societies. The Crown Prince said the Kingdom attached high priority to water security and had provided $6 billion to 60 countries for water related projects. He also announced the establishment of the World Water Organization, to be based in Riyadh.

The importance attached by Saudi Arabia to water, drought and desertification is understandable. Out of the six most water challenged countries in the world, four are from the Gulf. Though the Kingdom does not fall in that category, its leadership has the capacity to look into the future. It also has the will to tackle problems before they evolve into bigger challenges. On the other hand, Pakistan falls into the category of countries seriously challenged by climate change. It must graduate to innovative technologies for economical and sustainable water usage.

Apart from tackling issues through multilateral forums, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could also work bilaterally for sustainable agricultural development through organic and natural methods of soil conservation. 

Javed Hafeez

 In his speech at the summit, Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif said water was the lifeblood of the planet. He added that 70 percent of Pakistani land mass was either arid or semi-arid and referred to the catastrophic floods in 2022 which caused billions of dollars worth of losses to agricultural crop, livestock and human dwellings. Water scarcity as well as the excess of water has both posed problems for Pakistan. The country must develop techniques to store and conserve water when it is in excess by constructing dams, through rain harvesting and modern irrigation methods.

Pakistan is home to many glaciers and snow capped mountain peaks. Glaciers have started melting at an abnormal rate due to rising temperatures. This causes floods in summer and drought-like conditions at other times. A massive afforestation effort is required globally to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change. 

Alternative energy resources should gradually but consistently replace conventional ones to decrease the impact of global warming due to carbon emissions. Pakistan can bring vast virgin areas under plow through the judicious use of water and thus increase its food production. 

Degradation of fertile soil is another problem faced by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and many other countries. This is due to droughts, desertification and the excessive use of chemicals including pesticides and fertilizers. Apart from tackling these issues through multilateral forums, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could also work bilaterally for sustainable agricultural development through organic and natural methods of soil conservation. Bilateral co-operation is an essential parallel to a multilateral one as both countries have growing populations with resultantly increasing food demands.

The global challenges of water security and desertification demand joint international action. The transfer of technologies for judicious water use should take place regularly from developed to developing countries. Climate resilient infrastructure has to be developed in countries like Pakistan which are seriously challenged by climate change. Data sharing between all nations is a new necessity. Threats to bio-diversity are international and air pollution often transcends borders. Pollution, drought and desertification are threats to mankind and must be tackled with alacrity. And modern technological advances do send ample rays of hope.

– Javed Hafeez is a former Pakistani diplomat with much experience of the Middle East. He writes weekly columns in Pakistani and Gulf newspapers and appears regularly on satellite TV channels as a defense and political analyst.
X: @JavedHafiz8