As we celebrate International Women’s Day 2025, it is essential to reflect on the challenges faced by women and marginalized groups in Pakistan. Despite the implementation of the National Drinking Water Policy in 2009 and Pakistan’s commitment to international agreements and the Sustainable Development Goal 6, only 39% of the population has access to safe drinking water, and water quality remains a critical concern. Water insecurity, which is defined as inadequate or inequitable access to clean, safe, and affordable water, continues to pose significant health and social risks, disproportionately affecting women and vulnerable groups. According to the United Nations University Global Water Security 2023 Assessment, Pakistan falls under the "critically water insecure" category, the lowest level of water security. This classification is based on an evaluation of ten key factors, including water access, sanitation, quality, availability, and governance.

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Globally, the recognition of water as a basic human right was established in 2010 when the United Nations General Assembly declared that access to safe water is essential for realizing all other human rights. However, in Pakistan, socio-economic disparities and rising poverty have exacerbated water insecurity. According to the World Bank’s 2024 report, "Poverty Projections for Pakistan," poverty surged by seven percentage points, reaching 25.3% and pushing an estimated 13 million more people below the poverty line. This economic decline, coupled with political instability, has worsened water accessibility issues, disproportionately affecting marginalized groups such as women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

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Moreover, existing gender norms further restrict women’s role in water management, limiting their access to resources and decision-making power.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (2023), women make up 49% of the population, with 53% residing in Punjab and 17.7% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the majority of whom live in rural areas. Around 70% of these women are engaged in agriculture, either as laborers, contributing family workers, or landowners. However, existing water management and governance policies reinforce stereotypical norms, recognizing men as the primary custodians of agriculture while overlooking women's contributions.

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Pakistan’s National Water Policy (2018) acknowledges women only in the context of domestic water use, overlooking their broader needs and rights in water management and agriculture. Additionally, there is no implementation plan to ensure that women and other marginalized groups benefit from water-related initiatives. This lack of recognition highlights the importance of incorporating gender perspectives into policies and programs to ensure equitable benefits for all.

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has been working in Pakistan for over four decades, striving to bridge these inequalities and turn commitments into tangible progress. Through the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)-funded Water Resources Accountability Programme (WRAP), IWMI is supporting the Government of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the inclusive implementation of the Punjab Water Act 2019 and KP Water Act 2020. Gender analysis highlights the need for targeted interventions to ensure equitable policy benefits. As part of these efforts, training programs on climate-smart irrigation technologies have been tailored for progressive female farmers and youth (65% of the population), empowering them to enhance agricultural productivity and manage water scarcity more effectively.

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Similarly, the CGIAR initiative on Fragility, Conflict, and Migration (FCM) explores the role of digital tools and social media in building community resilience during extreme weather events like floods and droughts. In the Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab, IWMI conducted an extensive study to evaluate the effectiveness of digital tools, such as social media and early warning systems, in assisting climate migrants before and after their migration.

The study highlighted significant gender disparities in access to digital tools, including mobile phones, internet connectivity, and social media usage. This underscores an urgent need for inclusive policy planning and gender-transformative initiatives. The other important concern raised by the female climate migrants was about the timeliness and adequacy of the warnings, with some received shortly before the disaster, leaving little time for preparation. This led to doubts about their effectiveness and whether they were sufficient for taking necessary precautions.

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Similarly, 68% of the female population lives in rural areas of Baluchistan province and rely on agriculture and livestock for their livelihood. During extreme droughts, these women travel 3–4 km daily to fetch drinking water and manage water for their livestock. To address these challenges, IWMI, through the WaPOR project funded by FAO and IHE Delft, is developing an Early Drought Monitoring System to strengthen the capacity of government stakeholders in drought management and community resilience. Recognizing the importance of an intersectional perspective which often limits the benefits of such tools for small, medium, and large farmers, as well as for male and female farmers, IWMI has developed the Gender Up tool for promoting gender-inclusive innovations in the agriculture and water sectors.

On this International Women’s Day, let us commit to making actionable progress not only by words but through our actions. By addressing gender disparities in water management and adopting inclusive practices, we can ensure that women are not just beneficiaries but also equal participants in building a resilient and sustainable future. Together, we can turn promises into progress.