The Energy – Water Nexus: Managing the links

between energy and water for sustainable

development in Pakistan
The Addressee
Mr. Muzammil Hussain
Chairman – Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)

The Issue
When it comes to energy and water, Pakistan currently faces significant challenges. According to the United
Nations Development Programme, water availability between 1990 to 2015 decreased from 2,172 m 3 to 1306 m3
per inhabitant (United Nations Development Programme Pakistan, n.d.). The picture is equally bleak when it
comes to energy as Pakistan faces crippling energy shortages that have devastated exports and slowed economic
growth.

With the population projected to cross 300 million by 2050 (United Nations, 2015), the issues pertaining to lack of
energy and water will only exasperate. However, by increasing the extraction of water and fuel consumption,
Pakistan will only add more pressure on an already stressed and fragile ecosystem. The purpose of this policy brief
is to recommend policies to the chairman of Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) based
on the energy-water nexus to promote more efficient and ecologically responsible use of natural resources.

The Indus Water System – Pakistan’s Lifeline

The Indus Water System (IWS) is Pakistan’s lifeline and is fed by the glaciers in the Himalayas. It flows through
Punjab - the breadbasket of Pakistan - followed by Sindh where it drains into the Arabian Sea. The IWS supplies
water for agriculture, industry and is a major provider of
potable water.
The current lack of electricity costs Pakistan approximately
$5.8 Billion per annum (The World Bank, 2018).
22 million residents currently do not have access to safe drinking
Water that leads to 19,500 deaths per annum for children
under the age of 5 from diarrhea (Wateraid.org, 2018).
Diarrhea is also a cause for malnourishment among
children causing 45% of Pakistan’s children to be stunted
(Nutrition Wing, Ministry of Health, Pakistan, 2011).

Figure 1: The Indus Water System. The flows in the IWS is highly dependent on
seasons. With climate change, it is expected that glaciers will melt at higher pace
increasing water availability in the short run but eventually will decrease as avg.
size of glaciers decreases.

Source: EcoPeace Middle East, 2018

Pakistan’s Energy and Water Nexus

The energy-water nexus aims to identify the interlinkages that exist between these natural resources. These
interlinkages are complex and interdisciplinary but once understood have the capacity of helping Pakistan manage
its energy and water more safely, efficiently and sustainably. The figures below show the recent consumption
trends in Pakistan.
Water Consumption by Sector (2016) Electricity Production by Source (2014)

Environment 3.30% Nuclear 5.53%

Natural Gas 29.03%
Industry 2.50%
Oil 35.40%
Domestic 2.60%
Hydroelectricity 29.94%
Agriculture 91.60% Coal 0.10%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Source: United Nations Development Programme Pakistan, n.d. Source: Bal et al., 2014

Agriculture is the largest sector of the Pakistani economy accounting for 24% with most of the population directly
or indirectly involved it (Fao.org, 2018). So, any discussion on the energy – nexus framework related to Pakistan,
must include food for it to have relevance and impact. In the rural areas, during high river-flow season water is
diverted from the IWS to canals that irrigate 80% of 21.2 million hectares of farmland (Fao.org, 2018). The
additional flows are stored in dams and used to generate electricity. During the low river-flow season, farmers
pump groundwater for irrigation using tube wells that are usually fueled by diesel (Siddiqi and Wescoat, 2013).
The processing of agricultural produce (wheat, sugar, cotton) consumes most of the industrial water and energy
demand. Agricultural by-products such as bagasse are used to produce biogas that caters to energy needs of the
rural population.

Hence, the energy – water – food nexus in Pakistan is highly intertwined and complex. The figure below
summarises some of the common relationships in the energy-water-food nexus.

Figure 2: The figure shows the most common interlinkages of the

Energy – Water – (Food) nexus in Pakistan

Adapted from: Lead Pakistan, 2017

 Policy Recommendations
Pakistan’s Vision 2025 document places energy, water, and food as a single policy pillar so there is an
acknowledgment of the interlinkages present between these natural resources among policymakers.
However, this has not encouraged different departments such as WAPDA to incorporate nexus
methodologies, so that the broader implication of energy and water-related policy can be understood. This
policy brief summarises some recommendations on how WAPDA can apply the nexus approach.

1. Focus investment in on innovative ways of generating energy and water

Since the energy shortage, Pakistan has focused on setting up more coal power plants that can provide
cheap electricity despite concerns related to environmental degradation. In recent months, there have
been innovative proposals to generate water via solar or waste powered desalination plants (Mirza,
Maroto-Valer and Ahmad, 2003). WAPDA must prioritize investment in such proposals.
2. Support construction of smaller dams
Case studies in Northern Punjab have shown that smaller dams increase agricultural output, provide
electricity and water security to smaller communities that live in isolated, hilly communities. These dams
can be quickly constructed with limited capital while providing economic and social benefits to the local
population (Ashraf, Kahlown and Ashfaq, 2007). These dams have a minimal environmental impact
compared to Pakistan’s mega-dams – Mangla and Tarbella (Ansar et al., 2014).
3. Increase interdepartmental cooperation
As shown in the earlier graphs, agriculture consumes 90.6% of the total available water. That is a
staggering statistic. It is not possible for WAPDA to address water shortages unless it develops
coordination with the National Food Security & Research. It is important to design and help implement
water efficient technologies such as drip irrigation to reduce agriculture’s water consumption. It is
important that WAPDA incentivize farmers to use solar power to power these irrigation systems thereby
improving overall energy efficiency
4. Use financial instruments to incentivize agricultural by-products and waste use
WAPDA must design and implement policies that incentivize using crop residues and solid waste to generate
electricity. It is possible to generate up to ~ 510 000 GWh/year from crop residues alone whereas solid
waste has the potential of meeting energy requirements of up to ~44% of the rural population (Iqbal et al.,
2018).
5. Encourage training and research
The nexus methodology is a relatively new concept and not much research has been done with regards to
the application of these concepts to Pakistan. WAPDA must establish stronger links with academia to change
this.
Policy Challenges

Recently, the 18th amendment devolved authority pertaining to energy and water issues to the provinces
complicating matters for the federal water and energy authority (WAPDA). The transition from federal control
to provincial has not been smooth and has added increased bureaucratic complexities when it comes to policy
making & implementation, project approvals, and so on. The national water policy was just approved in
August 2018 while the energy policy is still being negotiated. Hence there is hope that these complexities will
be addressed in the near term.

However, the national narrative currently views the energy and water crises as only a supply (and isolated)
problem so no discourse is held on using the energy-water nexus to increase efficiency, promote reuse, etc.
This lack of debate has led to one-sided proposals with little consideration given to environmental
consequences. Additionally, the lack of reform of the agricultural sector exasperates water shortages.
Unfortunately, WAPDA has no say in agricultural policy-making which brings about immense challenges. The
agricultural sector also supports an entrenched political class who are reluctant to “rock the boat” and
generally reject reform.

Conclusions
In recent months, there has been increasing discussion in the public about solutions to address Pakistan’s
water and energy shortages. The public is becoming increasingly aware of issues such as climate change and
ecosystem degradation. This has led to several commendable campaigns such as planting trees (Billion Tree
Initiative), advocating (and crowdfunding) dams, educating the public on ways of conserving energy and
water, and so on.
Pakistanis are waking up to the idea of the “biophysical limits” of the Indus Basin and this has bought the
public and private sector together to address energy-water woes. WAPDA must capitalize on this to bring
about transformational reforms that would have otherwise been highly unpopular. Links with the academia
must be established and research on topics such as wastewater treatment and recycle, solar and wind
energy, watershed management, and groundwater must be promoted. The private sector is already investing
in energy and water and WAPDA must play its part in further assisting and encouraging these investors.
Finally, WAPDA must reform itself to address corruption and mismanagement and gain public trust. WAPDA
has historically played an important role in addressing previous energy and water issues. With incremental
change, reform, and institutional will, there is no reason why WAPDA cannot play the same role again.

Prepared By:
Nimrah Anwar – Policy Advisor to Chairman Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)
References
Ashraf, M., Kahlown, M. and Ashfaq, A. (2007). Impact of small dams on agriculture and groundwater development: A case study from
Pakistan. Agricultural Water Management, 92(1-2), pp.90-98.

Ansar, A., Flyvbjerg, B., Budzier, A. and Lunn, D. (2014). Should we build more large dams? The actual costs of hydropower
megaproject development. Energy Policy, 69, pp.43-56.

Bal, M., Ramos, C., Haile, E., Salman, H., Szejelewski, F. and Bogacka, M. (2014). Structure of Primary Energy Mix, Electricity
Production and Emissions from Power Sector in Ethiopia, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, and Turkey. Archiwum Gospodarki Odpadami i
Ochrony Środowiska, [online] 16(2), pp.93-106. Available at: https://www.infona.pl/resource/bwmeta1.element.baztech-f61b95f6-
79ac-4e8b-a79e-41929cf95e25 [Accessed 3 Oct. 2018].

EcoPeace Middle East. (2018). Map of the Indus Basin (source-US senate report). [online] Available at:
https://ecopeaceme.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/cooperating-over-water/map-of-the-indus-basin-source-us-senate-report/
[Accessed 1 Oct. 2018].

En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Indus River. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_River [Accessed 2 Oct. 2018].

Fao.org. (2018). Pakistan at a glance | FAO in Pakistan | Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. [online] Available at:
http://www.fao.org/pakistan/fao-in-pakistan/pakistan-at-a-glance/en/ [Accessed 3 Oct. 2018].

Grigg, N., Foran, T., Darbas, T., Kirby, M., Colloff, M., Ahmad, M. and Podger, G. (2018). The water–food–energy nexus in Pakistan: a
biophysical and socio-economic challenge. Proceedings of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, 376, pp.9-13.

Hussey, K. and Pittock, J. (2012). The Energy-Water Nexus: Managing the Links between Energy and Water for a Sustainable
Future. Ecology and Society, 17(1).

Iqbal, T., Dong, C., Lu, Q., Ali, Z., Khan, I., Hussain, Z. and Abbas, A. (2018). Sketching Pakistan's energy dynamics: Prospects of biomass
energy. Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, 10(2), p.023101.

Lead Pakistan (2017). Water-Energy-Food Nexus: An Introduction to Key Concepts, Implications, and Challenges. [online] Available at:
http://www.lead.org.pk/attachments/Water-Energy-Food%20Nexus1.pdf [Accessed 3 Oct. 2018].

Mirza, U., Maroto-Valer, M. and Ahmad, N. (2003). Status and outlook of solar energy use in Pakistan. Renewable and Sustainable
Energy Reviews, 7(6), pp.501-514.

Nutrition Wing, Ministry of Health, Pakistan (2011). Pakistan National Nutrition Survey 2011. [online] Available at:
http://www.mhinnovation.net/sites/default/files/downloads/innovation/research/Pakistan%20National%20Nutrition%20Survey
%202011.pdf [Accessed 1 Oct. 2018].

Rasul, G. (2014). Food, water, and energy security in South Asia: A nexus perspective from the Hindu Kush Himalayan
region☆. Environmental Science & Policy, 39, pp.35-48.

Siddiqi, A. and Wescoat, J. (2013). Energy use in large-scale irrigated agriculture in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Water
International, 38(5), pp.571-586.

The World Bank (2005). Pakistan’ s Water Economy: Running Dry. [online] Available at:
http://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/johnbriscoe/files/7._briscoe_-_qamar-_pakistans_water_economy-running_dry-
_oxford_univ_press_2007.pdf [Accessed 3 Oct. 2018].

The World Bank (2018). Electrification and Household Welfare Evidence from Pakistan. Office of the Chief Economist, South Asia
Region.

United Nations (2015). The World Population Prospects.

United Nations Development Programme Pakistan (n.d.). Development Advocate Pakistan. [online] Available at:
http://www.pk.undp.org/content/dam/pakistan/docs/DevelopmentPolicy/DAP%20Volume3,%20Issue4%20English.pdf [Accessed
3 Oct. 2018].

Wateraid.org. (2018). Pakistan | WaterAid Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.wateraid.org/au/where-we-work/pakistan

[Accessed 1 Oct. 2018].

Worldenergy.org. (2018). Pakistan. [online] Available at:

https://www.worldenergy.org/data/resources/country/pakistan/hydropower/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2018].