FY26: Govt allocates Rs133,000m to build new water reserves

Islamabad (APP): Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday emphasized the urgent need to enhance the country’s water storage capacity in response to the growing threat posed by India for unilateral suspension of

Indus Water Treaty (IWT) which could affect the Pakistan’s water reserves.

 

While presenting the federal budget in the National Assembly, the minister highlighted the critical challenges being faced by Pakistan’s water resources, including the threat of water aggression from India, food security risks, flood resilience, and the impacts of climate change.

 

He further stated that, in line with the objectives set out in the National Water Policy 2018, new targets have been established. These included increasing water storage capacity by 10 million acre-feet (MAF), reducing water wastage, improving water-use efficiency by up to 30%, and enabling real-time monitoring of the IWT.

 

To address these challenges and meet these targets, Senator Aurangzeb announced an allocation of Rs133,000 million for the Water Resources Division to fund new projects and ongoing projects.

 

Out of that amount Rs. 95,000 million has been allocated for 15 key initiatives. These included projects aimed at enhancing water resources, improving flood resistance, installing telemetry systems across the Indus Basin and safeguarding water supplies.

 

Specifically, Rs. 32,700 million has been allocated for the Diamer-Bhasha Dam, Rs. 35,700 million for the Mohmand Dam, and Rs. 3,200 million for the Karachi Bulk Water Supply (K-IV) project. Additionally, Rs. 10,000 million has been allocated for the lining of the Kalri Baghar (KB) Feeder, and Rs. 4,400 million for the installation of telemetry systems at the Indus Basin.

 

Further allocations include Rs. 1,800 million for the Pat Feeder Canal, Rs. 690 million for flood damage repairs on the Kachhi Canal, and Rs. 5,000 million for the Awaran, Panjgur, Garuk, and Gashkore Dam projects.