Experts warn rising children stunting, maternal malnutrition in Pakistan amid IWT violations by India
PESHAWAR, (APP): A growing chorus of health experts, economists, and political analysts here Wednesday warned that continued suspension of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT) by India are likely to expose millions of children and women to stunting and malnutrition in Pakistan.
Condemning an illegal move by the fascist Modi regime in strongest terms, medical and nutrition experts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa argued that restricting water flows from the western rivers was serious offence in international law that could directly fuel malnutrition in pregnant mothers and stunting in children besides pushing millions of people toward irreversible health crises.
Medical professionals warned that reduced water availability will hit food production first and hardest, which may trigger a humanitarian crisis that ends in widespread undernourishment and stunting especially in Punjab and Azad Kashmir.
Dr. Malik Riaz Khan, a senior physician in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stressed that Pakistan already faces challenges of poor nutrition indicators as nearly 40% of children under five suffer from stunting—a condition defined by impaired growth due to chronic malnutrition and food insecurity.
Any further disruption in water supply in western rivers is likely to accelerate this health problem in Pakistan’s Punjab and Azad Kashmir where agriculture and livestock may become victim of IWT.
“Stunting is not just about height or weight—it is about brain development, immunity, and survival,” he said.
“Once it sets in early childhood, the damage is largely irreversible,” he said. Globally, undernutrition contributes to nearly 2.7 million child deaths annually, and Pakistan remains among the most vulnerable countries to water scarcity due to climate change and rapid population growth. Experts cautioned that restricting river flows could sharply worsen these numbers and India will be responsible for it.
The implications are equally severe for poor women and lactating mothers. Current estimates suggested that over 40% of women of reproductive age in Pakistan are undernourished, while nearly half of pregnant women suffer from anemia and iron deficiencies.
Health specialists warned that dwindling water resources will reduce agricultural output, inflate food prices, and limit access to nutritious and balanced diets, placing pregnant and lactating women at even greater risk. The likely result will be higher maternal mortality, low birth weight infants, and a generational cycle of poor health.
Economists are equally blunt in their assessment to this human issue, urging World Bank to step in to save millions of children and women from this human issue. Professor Dr. Muhammad Naeem of Swabi university described the suspension of the 1960 historic treaty as nothing short of economic warfare and sabotage of regional peace.
He said Pakistan’s agriculture, which is heavily dependent on the Indus Basin mostly relies on these western rivers for more than 80% of its water needs.
Any artificial restriction, experts argued, would devastate crop yields, particularly wheat, rice, and cotton besides fruits orchards including citrus, water melon, mangoes and banana especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh province besides negatively affecting wildlife and bees populations in Azad Kashmir.
With agriculture contributing roughly 23% to GDP and employing nearly 38% of the workforce in Pakistan, the experts said IWT violations are likely to create ripple effects by surging food prices, rising unemployment, deepening rural poverty, widespread food insecurity and malnutrition in children and women in Pakistan.
“Disrupting water flows is not a technical issue but human rights issue. It is a direct assault on livelihoods of millions of people, women and children in Pakistan,” Dr Naeem reiterated.
Beyond immediate economic shocks, experts warned of long-term environmental damage in case of IWT continued. Reduced river flows could force excessive groundwater extraction, accelerating aquifer depletion and increasing soil salinity particularly in Punjab and Sindh with negative effects on livestock and fisheries in KP.
This slow-burning disaster, as analysts describe it, threatens not only crops but entire ecosystems, including livestock and pollinators critical to food production.
Political analysts, including Dr. Zahid Anwar of the University of Peshawar, warned that the situation reflects a troubling global trend ie weaponization of natural resources especially water for political gains by the RSS backed Modi regime.
“The suspension of a binding agreement of IWT by India sets a dangerous precedent for world,” he said, adding it transforms water from a shared resource into a geopolitical weapon.
The treaty, signed in 1960 between President Ayub Khan and Indian PM Jawahar Lal Nehru, has long been considered a rare example of sustained cooperation between the two countries. Its unilateral suspension by India in April last year, experts argued, risks destabilizing not just bilateral relations but peace of region.
Experts urged the World Bank, the guarantor IWT treaty and international human rights organizations to intervene decisively as continued violations of the treaty by New Dehli are likely to put peace of South Aisa in jeopardy.
They argued that continued inaction could embolden further violations by India, not only in South Asia but globally, where upstream countries may adopt similar coercive tactics.
“The world is facing a defining test,” Dr Naeem reiterated. “Silence will only legitimize the use of water as a tool of hegemony and and geopolitical weapon.” Amid rising concerns, Pakistan is accelerating efforts to mitigate the IWT crisis through major infrastructure projects, including new dams and water storage systems.
The experts appreciated the Pakistani Govt move of taking the issue to the International Court of Justice that endorsed the Pakistan’s principle stand on IWT. The International Court rejected India’s narrative and upheld effectiveness of the treaty.
The experts stressed that safeguarding water access is no longer just an environmental or economic issue but a matter of survival for millions of children and women in Pakistan.
Their message is unequivocal that continued violations of IWT are not just a policy dispute but a looming humantarians crisis with potentially devastating consequences on humanity.
The experts said the whole responsibility will be on India if another war breaks out between the two countries on water.
They urged international community to look beyond trade interest and out presure on fascist Modi Govt to reverse his illegal decision and allow smoth flow of water in western rivers to save millions of children and women from looming health crisis.
