The Uraan Pakistan initiative by coalition government envisions a bold transformation: $100 billion in annual exports, attract $20 billion investment, create 20 million new jobs and reduce poverty by 20% within five years, and a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2035. While inspiring, these goals stand in stark contrast to the harsh realities of widespread poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition. Nearly 40% of the population lacks access to quality food and clean water with devastating consequences—40% of children under five are stunted, and 30% suffer from wasting. These aren’t just grim statistics but a generational challenge that erodes workforce productivity and undermines the nation’s economic and political stability.

For an agrarian economy, Pakistan’s heavy reliance on food imports is both perplexing and precarious. It exposes millions to global price shocks and supply disruptions. Poor storage and distribution infrastructure lead to significant food losses, driving up prices and making nutritious food inaccessible to the most vulnerable. Meanwhile, the misplaced focus on water-intensive cash crops has diverted resources from food crops, deepening food insecurity.

Though the Indus Basin, once a symbol of abundance, is now overexploited due to inefficient management and climate change, the floodplains present a transformative opportunity to address these challenges. Their potential remains largely untapped. If managed effectively, they could provide more than just abundant harvests of wheat, millet, maize, lentils, and oilseeds while reducing reliance on costly imports. They could also sustain ecosystems of fisheries and livestock, diversifying diets, bolstering rural livelihoods, and meeting domestic protein needs.

For generations, Pakistan’s floodplains have been harnessed as tools of economic ambition, manipulated to serve colonial priorities and, later, modern agricultural imperatives. These floodplains, once pulsating with life and natural wealth, have been fragmented by canals, irrigation structures, and settlements that prioritised cash crops over ecological harmony. This engineered system celebrated as a marvel in its time, has long overstayed its welcome. Now,........

© The Friday Times