Pakistan's Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal recently addressed the country's escalating water crisis at the 'Roundtable Consultation on National Water Security' under the 'Uraan Pakistan' initiative. He highlighted that the water issue is not just about scarcity but also mismanagement, leading to severe shortages and devastating floods. Iqbal stressed the importance of a coordinated, science-driven approach to secure sustainable water resources, stating that this crisis has become a matter of national security. He pointed out that Pakistan's current water storage capacity is alarmingly low, sufficient for only 90 days, which is far below international standards. To address this, he called for the construction of various types of dams and emphasized that water reserves should be viewed as essential for national survival. Additionally, Iqbal proposed a national water efficiency and conservation mission to modernize irrigation practices, as agriculture consumes most of the water but suffers from outdated methods. He also raised alarms about the unregulated depletion of groundwater, which is increasingly at risk, further complicating the water crisis.