Pakistan needs to urgently adopt global water stewardship standards in the aftermath of unprecedented monsoon floods.

The government and corporate sector should swiftly embrace global water stewardship standards and invest in sustainable water infrastructure and technologies, said experts while speaking at a roundtable conference on water stewardship, organised by the Pakistan Business Council (PBC) in collaboration with Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC).

They stressed the urgency for industries and regulators to align with global frameworks such as the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), a UN-backed platform that promotes responsible and sustainable freshwater management across the globe.

SECMC GM HSSE Imran Aslam emphasised the need for data-driven planning, proactive risk management and inclusive stakeholder engagement to institutionalise water stewardship.

Based on learning from SECMC's recent AWS Gold certification, a first for any mining company globally, he called on corporations to invest in advanced infrastructure such as sewerage treatment plants and water reuse while also ensuring full transparency and regulatory compliance.

He highlighted the company's initiatives, including bio-saline agriculture, 26 Reverse Osmosis plants and over 550 sanitation units in Thar block-II, as scalable models that could be replicated nationwide.

Head of Initiative at PBC Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (CERB) Nazish Shekha stressed the importance of transparency through regular disclosure of water performance and stewardship commitments, noting that it would ensure accountability and create long-term benefits for the country.