Assessing the impact of socio-demographic factors on municipal water security in planned and unplanned urban centers of Pakistan

In the current era of climate change, along with population and urbanization growth, Pakistan is facing increasing environmental challenges. These challenges intensified the pressure on the existing municipal water supply (MWS), which necessitated a need for a comprehensive assessment of the municipal water dynamics in these three cities. This research aimed sixfold: assessing the current municipal water services, municipal water demand, groundwater table depletion, satisfaction, awareness level, and the monetary indicators of the MWS. A three-stage key performance indicator (KPI) -based questionnaire survey was conducted, both online and through a field survey, self-administered between March 2022 and December 2023 in Islamabad (planned), Rawalpindi, and Mardan (unplanned). Public water supply (PWS) coverage remained 63% in Islamabad and 52% in Rawalpindi, while Mardan heavily relied on (44%) bore wells. Similarly, water scarcity remained alarmingly high in Islamabad (82%) and Rawalpindi (72%), compared to (relatively) low in Mardan (16%) between June and August every year. Over the past three decades, groundwater depths (GWD) in Rawalpindi have increased up to 300 ft, in Islamabad by 200 ft, and in Mardan by 50 ft. The study calls for intensified roles of all stakeholders, including the community, municipalities, policymakers, and urban planners, to ensure sustained municipal water supply.