After food crisis, massive water shortage to hit Pakistan in Kharif season

Pakistan, the country which is currently facing its worst economic collapse along with a food crisis during the holy month of Ramadan, is now heading toward a massive water shortage in the coming Kharif season. This comes months after unprecedented floods submerged large swathes of land across Sindh and southern Punjab. 

Speaking to Pakistan's Dawn, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) said that it would be compelled to follow a controversial three-tier water management mechanism for the distribution of shares to provinces. 

Isra's technical committee held a meeting on March 24 on possible water shortage, however, it could not finalize the estimates of overall water availability for Kharif 2023. It has now called its advisory committee to meet today, March 30, to examine the same. 

The cash-strapped country is struggling with a food crisis despite announcing the Ramadan relief package to consumers. People can be seen in long queues for free flour across several parts of the country. A woman has even lost her life in the struggle for free flour. 

The citizens have been hit hard by rising inflation as the government struggles to secure a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). People are even ending their lives due to the rising prices of essential commodities.

The all-time high price of wheat flour pushed weekly inflation in Pakistan up 1.80 percent week-on-week and 46.65 percent year-on-year during the seven-day period that ended on March 23, pointing to even tougher times ahead in the country, Geo News reported.

Local media reported that the people of the country boycotted purchasing expensive fruit from Friday to Sunday last week expressing anger and displaying that the public has the will to take a stand against consumer exploitation.