# $18 billion for dams and canals over 10 years: Planning Commission water plan targets 23.5 MAF storage by 2029

Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/economy/18-billion-for-dams-and-canals-over-10-years-planning-commission-water-plan)
Type: News article
Author: Searchable Editorial
Published: 28 Oct 2026
Updated: 28 Oct 2026
Retrieved: 28 Oct 2026

> The URAAN Pakistan water security framework names Akhori, Shyok and Skardu dams and wants water-use efficiency raised from 40% to 70%. Here is what is in it.

The federal government plans to spend about **$18 billion over the next ten years** on strategic water infrastructure (flood management, new storage and canal modernisation), according to a Planning Commission report on the **National Water Security framework under URAAN Pakistan**, The News reported on Wednesday (published by Geo News). At today's [dollar rate](/data/usd-pkr) of about Rs 276.80, that is roughly **Rs 5 trillion**.

## Targets for 2029

| Measure | Now | 2029 target |
|---|---|---|
| Water-use efficiency | 40% | 70% |
| Water at farm gates | 58.3 MAF | 79 MAF |
| Storage capacity | 15.318 MAF | 23.54 MAF |

MAF is million acre-feet. Ongoing PSDP projects are expected to add **9.821 MAF** of storage.

## Dams named

The report lists the **Akhori off-channel storage dam**, **Shyok Dam** and **Skardu Dam** in a strategic pipeline that could add about **14.5 MAF**.

## Reforms in the plan

- A Water System Integrator under **IRSA**, to make the system accountable from river to farm.
- Incentives to speed up drip and sprinkler irrigation.
- Reforming **abiana** (the canal water charge) so it covers actual operation and maintenance costs.
- Linking subsidies for **solar tubewells** to groundwater registration and extraction limits.
- Recycling at least 25% of urban wastewater.
- A National Flood Protection Plan-IV and a National Glacier Protection Act.
- Declaring water security part of the national security agenda.

## Why it matters

The report's own numbers explain the urgency:

- Agriculture uses about **95%** of freshwater withdrawals.
- Live storage holds only **11%** of the Indus River's annual flow.
- Groundwater in Punjab is falling **0.5 to 1 metre a year**, and the Indus Basin aquifer is the world's second most overstressed.
- Flood warning time at **Marala Headworks** fell from 40 hours in 2014 to **5.5 hours in 2025**.
- About **53%** of monitored urban water sources are unsafe to drink.
- Some **20.58 million acres** of farmable land lie outside the formal canal network.

## What it means for farmers

Two proposals touch farmers' costs directly: higher abiana rates that reflect real upkeep, and solar tubewell subsidies tied to registering and limiting groundwater use. Neither has a date or a rate yet. Farmers weighing a solar tubewell can work out the payback with our [solar payback calculator](/tools/solar/solar-payback-calculator).

The report warns that the 2029 targets need infrastructure, regulation and better water governance together.

## Frequently asked questions

**Which dams are in Pakistan's new water security plan?**

The Planning Commission report names the Akhori off-channel storage dam, Shyok Dam and Skardu Dam, part of a pipeline that could add about 14.5 MAF of storage.

## Sources

- Centre plans $18bn investment for strategic water infrastructure over next decade (Geo News / The News): https://www.geo.tv/latest/688623-centre-plans-18bn-investment-for-strategic-water-infrastructure-over-next-decade

How to cite: "$18 billion for dams and canals over 10 years: Planning Commission water plan targets 23.5 MAF storage by 2029", Searchable, 28 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/economy/18-billion-for-dams-and-canals-over-10-years-planning-commission-water-plan