IWT violations by India put 20 common tree species under heightening threat of extinction in AJK, KP

Like agriculture, dams, and fruit orchards, the continued violations of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) by India have also placed nearly 20 common tree species in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) under heightening threats of extinction

PESHAWAR, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th May, 2026) Like agriculture, dams, and fruit orchards, the continued violations of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) by India have also placed nearly 20 common tree species in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) under heightening threats of extinction.

The endangered species include deodara, olive, blackboard tree, pomegranate, common pear, sacred fig, curry leaf, black locust, oleander, apple of sodom, oriental plane and peach are among 20 native trees mostly found across AJK and KP are likely to face extinction if IWT violations continued for longer peroid, said Tauheedul Haq, former conservator of forests, KP, while speaking to APP on Friday.

In such negative scenarios, the region's temperature and melting of glaciers will be increased besides reducing of rainfall, creating food insecurity and environmental hazards.

He explained that the unique climate, river systems, and soil composition of KP and AJK support a rich diversity of native vegetation. Any reduction in the flow of the Indus, Chenab, and Jhelum rivers could severely endanger these species and push them toward extinction.

“In such a grim environmental situation in future, ecological balance, food security, and the natural heritage of northern parts would suffer immensely,” he warned.

According to Tauheed, Pakistan produces between 72,000 and 74,000 tonnes of peaches annually, with more than 67–75 percent cultivated in KP and northern regions. Similarly, around 0.79 million tonnes of apples are produced each year, with nearly 25 percent grown in KP, Gilgit-Baltistan, and AJK.

“These fruits orchards will face serious risks of likely extinction if IWT violations by India continue for a longer peroid,” he said.

Olive trees could also become a major victims of water shortages. Pakistan currently has over five million cultivated olive trees and nearly 80 million wild olive trees, with around 500,000 to 800,000 new saplings planted annually in KP, Punjab, and Balochistan. The country has the potential to produce up to 180 metric tonnes of olive oil per year.

He further warned that deodar and pine forests along the banks of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers could also be adversely affected.

“The decline of these forests would damage ecological balance, increase pollution and soil erosion in Hamalya region, and negatively affect apiculture and wildlife across AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and KP,” he added.

He also expressed concern for the endangered Kashmir markhor, snow leopard and Markhor, saying the species-- once freely roaming rocky cliffs nourished by glacial streams — now faces heightened threats due to potential disruptions in river flows.

Along the Indus River, local fishermen recall a time when river currents teemed with aquatic life. Conservationists feared that any slowdown in western river flows could severely impact the fragile ecosystem and wildlife that sustains both aquaculture, agriculture and local livelihoods.

The illegal decision by India to hold the IWT in abeyance has alarmed environmentalists and wildlife experts of KP, who warned that reduced river flows could have devastating consequences for wildlife and aquatic ecosystems in AJK and Punjab besides food chain and ecological balance.

“Without water, there is no habitates for trees and wildlife,” said former Chief Conservator Wildlife KP, Mubarak Shah, describing water as the lifeline of Himalayan biodiversity.

“Water is essential for forests, bees and wildlife popuation survival. Conservation efforts in AJK, KP and Punjab will likely suffer immensely if western river flows decline, and the regional food chain will be disrupted,” he said.

AJK’s landscape ranges from subtropical forests to alpine meadows and provides habitat for endangered species such as the Kashmir markhor, snow leopard,

Himalayan brown bear, musk deer, Himalayan goral, and Eurasian lynx.

These species depend heavily on uninterrupted freshwater systems fed by the Indus Basin, particularly the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers.

Environmentalists warned that reduced water flows would not only shrink drinking water sources but also degrade vegetation, accelerate habitat loss, and disrupt breeding cycles.

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“The Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers form the ecological backbone of the region,” Mubarak Shah said. “Beyond agriculture and drinking water, they sustain wetlands, forests, and fragile mountain ecosystems.”

“When there is no trees, the chances of rains and snowfalls decrease and forest resources as well as wildlife habitats shrinks. And when forest disappear and habitats collapse, conservation programmes collapse and so as temperature of earth increases with depleting water resources,” he emphasized.

He warned that declining water availability could reduce populations of species such as wolves, rhesus macaques, pangolins, barking deer, and other wildlife already under pressure from climate change and habitat fragmentation.

Professor Dr Nafees Ahmad, Chairman of the Environmental Sciences Department at the University of Peshawar, said the implications of IWT violations extend far beyond wildlife, forest and aquatic resources.

“Forest, wildlife and biodiversity keep ecosystems healthy and support sustainable agriculture and food security,” he explained.

“Reduced water flow increases the risk of desertification and drought. That means hunger, poverty, and food insecurity for millions of people in the region.”

He said Pakistan is already ranked among the world’s 10 most climate-vulnerable countries, adding that erratic rainfall patterns and glacial melt variability have already placed immense pressure on ecosystems, water and wildlife conservation efforts.

They warned that further water stress could trigger increased desertification, migration of wildlife and bee populations, orchard decline, and crop failures.

“Water scarcity is not just an environmental issue,” Dr. Nafees said, adding depleting forest will increase pollution and green gas emissions. "IWT revival is a matter of human survival and it is now a test case for World Bank being its guarantor.”

He urged global conservation and financial institutions, particularly the World Bank, to intervene and ensure compliance with the Indus Waters Treaty.

The World Bank, which brokered the treaty in 1960, is being called upon to help safeguard ecological stability in the region.

Experts also questioned the response of international conservation organizations, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

They argued that biodiversity loss in the Himalayas would create ripple effects across South Asia’s ecological network and called on these organization to step in and save the region environment.

Bird species such as the Himalayan monal, Himalayan snowcock, chukar partridge, and Eurasian eagle-owl could also suffer habitat degradation and population decline if freshwater systems shrink.

“Water sustains the entire food chain,” Mubarak Shah said. “Starvation at one level spreads across the ecosystem. It is time to act against the weaponization of water.”

Experts warned that ecological imbalance could extend far beyond forests and mountains, ultimately affecting millions of people who depend on these natural water systems for survival.

For communities living along riverbanks in KP, AJK and Punjab, the IWT issue is deeply personal. Water is not merely a treaty matter; it is the lifeline for crops, livestock, forests, wildlife, and human settlements.

Conservationists stressed that environmental stability must rise above political disputes.

As rivers descend from the Himalayas into the plains of Pakistan, they carry not only water but also the survival of forests, wildlife, livelihoods, and future generations.

“If these waters diminish,” experts warned, “the silence in the mountains and forests may grow deeper than anyone anticipates, with devastating consequences for both nature and humanity.