Atoms for Water 2025!

Nazia Sheikh

The IAEA Atoms for Water Scientific Forum was held from 16 to 17 September in the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria, as a side event at the 69th IAEA General Conference. Essentially, the forum emphasized the role of nuclear science and technology in addressing the challenges of water scarcity, promoting sustainable water management to mitigate declining water quality, providing clean energy solutions for desalination, and enhancing understanding of water resource management. Economic well-being, environmental sustainability, food security, and water are fundamental for sustained development. 

The IAEA Atoms for Water Forum emphasized nuclear innovation for tackling global water scarcity and sustainability.

The amount and distribution of water are affected by climate change, land use change, declining water quality, population growth, rapid urbanization, and increasing demands for food and energy.  Annually, 3.8 trillion cubic meters of water worldwide are used for drinking water, agriculture, food production, energy generation, and economic development. The demand for fresh water is increasing by 64 billion cubic meters per year, and new mechanisms are needed to generate clean water. 

Through desalination, nuclear energy provides countries, especially those in arid regions, with clean energy options to produce clean water. However, the global water supply is not up to the mark. For the world’s population to have sustainable and equal access to clean water in the coming decades, immediate and focused action is required. Extreme hydrological events, like severe drought and flooding, have increased dramatically during the past 50 years, affecting supply and causing an estimated $4.3 trillion in global economic damage. This year’s IAEA Scientific Forum is focused on water because nuclear research on water and the application of cutting-edge nuclear methods will help manage water resources globally and ensure that clean water supplies are distributed fairly and evenly in the coming years.

The Atoms for Water 2025 forum demonstrated how nuclear cooperation can act as a unifying factor among countries. Rivers transcend national boundaries, aquifers underpin several states, and oceans link all continents, making water scarcity intrinsically transboundary. IAEA contributes to developing platforms where technical competence is translated into shared responsibility by situating nuclear technology within a multilateral framework.

The forum also highlighted the need for innovation not to be limited to developed countries. It is imperative that developing nations, which are frequently the most vulnerable to water insecurity, have the resources, alliances, and expertise necessary to utilize nuclear technologies to enhance their own resilience. One of the main pillars of the IAEA’s mission is utilizing science for the peaceful use of nuclear technology. The Scientific Forum concluded the significance of collaborations and resource mobilization for water sustainability.

Pakistan’s PINSTECH, designated as an IAEA Collaborating Centre, strengthens regional expertise in isotope hydrology.

Under the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology has been designated as an IAEA Collaborating Centre from 2024 to 2028 in the field of sustainable water resource management.   PINSTECH will continue playing a pivotal role in strengthening regional expertise for effective water resource management in the region, as an IAEA Collaborating Centre. Using isotope tracer techniques and water chemistry, the agreement’s goals include assessing and characterizing different water systems, including rivers, lakes, groundwater, and coastal waters.

Important data will be produced by these initiatives to support environmental protection, pollution prevention, and water management. The center will also provide professional services to IAEA member nations, especially in Asia and the Middle East. Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology’s (PINSTECH) isotope hydrology capabilities have been advanced to a significant extent by the IAEA. PINSTECH scientists have been trained in nuclear hydrological techniques over the years, and the institute’s infrastructure has been improved through involvement in IAEA technical cooperation programs at the national, regional, and interregional levels.

Through IAEA-coordinated research initiatives, PINSTECH scientists have also made contributions to state-of-the-art hydrology research. The designation of PINSTECH as a Collaborating Centre by the IAEA represents an investment in future collaboration as well as an acknowledgement of its scientific competence. As climate change and regional water stress demand strong scientific answers and data-driven management plans, the designation comes at a critical moment.

To safeguard water resources, enhance environmental health, and increase nuclear application capability for sustainable development, PINSTECH is anticipated to strengthen regional and international efforts in this new capacity. To ensure the accuracy and quality of its laboratories, the institute participates regularly in international inter-comparison activities. In addition to participating in the Agency’s inter-comparison exercises for quality assurance, PINSTECH contributes to the Global Water Analysis Laboratory (GloWAL) Network and enhances the regional Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation and Global Network of Isotopes in Rivers databases.

By adopting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as its national development plan through a unanimous National Assembly Resolution in 2016, Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to the 2030 plan for Sustainable Development. One of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6) is to provide “Clean Water and Sanitation” for everyone by 2030. To the implementation of SDG 6, Pakistan has put institutional and regulatory measures in place, such as creating a national framework and SDG units, to ensure that everyone has equitable and universal access to safe and reasonably priced drinking water by 2030.

Nuclear cooperation enhances water security, supports SDG 6, and fosters global scientific collaboration for sustainable development.

Pakistan can benefit from the IAEA Atoms for Water 2025 forum by accessing IAEA expertise in desalination, soil-water management, and pollution control. The IAEA and Pakistan are already collaborating on different initiatives of peaceful use of nuclear technology. While taking advantage of research networks, international collaboration, and capacity-building programs, and as a founding member and member of the IAEA Board of Governors, Pakistan can significantly influence international water and sustainability policies. To address water scarcity and climate change-related issues, Pakistan can improve its food security and agricultural resilience through advanced nuclear techniques and get solutions for sustainable water management by participating and collaborating in such forums.

 The author is a Research Officer at the Centre for International Strategic Studies, AJK. She holds an MPhil degree in International Relations from the International Islamic University, Islamabad, Pakistan. She can be reached at nsheikh536@gmail.com