Country Representative Of IWMI Suggests Rain-water Storage Tanks For New Housing Schemes

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Oct, 2021 ) :Country Representative, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Dr. Mohsin Hafeez has suggested Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) to make mandatory rain-water storage tanks for new housing schemes.

"The store water can be used for gardening, toilets (flush), and for the car wash, etc," he said while speaking at a consultative meeting on 'demonstration of nature-based solutions for improving the resilience of groundwater aquifers here.

He said Islamabad gets a lot of rain and the rainwater can be stored to end the water shortage and to avoid a flood.

The city has witnessed a flood-like situation during the current monsoon season when posh areas of Islamabad got flooded, causing huge damages to infrastructure and public property including vehicles, he added.

Dr. Mohsin Hafeez said, "We are working in Pakistan as well as in Islamabad with relevant stakeholders in providing evidence-based scientific solutions to overcome issues of water." Chairman Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR)Dr. Muhammad Ashraf, said, "International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan and Capital Development Authority (CDA are doing water resources assessment of the entire Islamabad for surface water as well as groundwater and identifying research sites.

Based on this assessment, he said, a draft for developing the groundwater and surface water legal framework is also in progress.

Member Engineering, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Engr. Syed Munawar Shah said that the current government encouraged working on the idea of finding nature-based solutions.

"We have developed a PC-1 to overcome the shortage of water in Islamabad. Islamabad relies only on two water sources i.e., surface water and groundwater resources. The groundwater table of the capital is depleted at the rate of one meter every year whereas Islamabad gets almost 1.5-meter rainfall each year" he added.

CDA, he said, would establish at least 50 wells initially to capitalize on the winter rains and the remaining 30 wells would be completed by June 30 2022 before the next monsoon season.

Member CDA appreciated Country Representative IWMI's suggestion of making it mandatory for all upcoming CDA and FGEHA sectors as well as private housing schemes, those who get their land plans approved by CDA, to have rain-water tanks.

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