Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) leads a National Water Quality Monitoring Program (NWQMP) to assess the status of water quality in Pakistan.
National Water Quality Monitoring Program Report (2020-21) is launched by the PCRWR on October 20, 2021 in a one-day National and Provincial Stakeholders Consultation Meeting on WASH Sector Reform Agenda organized by the Ministry of Climate Change and PCRWR in Marriott Islamabad. Chairman PCRWR, Dr Muhammad Ashraf gave an overview of Pakistan’s water challenges and required measures. The Chief Guest, Federal Secretary Science and Technology, Dr Akhtar Nazir in his opening remarks mentioned that Ministry of Science and Technology through PCRWR is committed to provide technical assistance to the nation regarding status of Safe Drinking Water in the country. Afterwards, NWQMP Report 2020 was launched. In 2020, this water quality-monitoring program was undertaken in 29 cities of four provinces, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan. The findings showed that 39% of the monitored water sources were safe, whereas 61% sources were unsafe for drinking. The monitoring outcomes of 29 cities make us realize that all stakeholders such as Federal, Provincial and local Governments, local communities, industries, academia etc. need to play their roles in improving drinking water quality.