IoU, IWMI Plans Media Fellowship On 'Rainwater Harvesting For Urban Flood Management'

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Sep, 2022 ) :Institute of Urbanization (IoU), and International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Pakistan have jointly planed to organize a media fellowship to build capacity of Eco-Journalists from metropolis of four provinces and capital city, Islamabad.

"Titled as "Rainwater Harvesting for Urban Flood Management", the two days fellowship from Sept 13 to 14, 2022 will help in understanding of participating journalists about existing rainwater harvesting models and how they are benefiting the city dwellers," reads a press release issued here on Monday.

As unsustainable urban water management has become a major challenge in many cities of Pakistan, both IoU and IWMI aim to amplify voices around socially just and environmentally compatible water conservation policies and facilitate knowledge exchange around best practices for water-smart cities, adds the press release.

Journalists participating in fellowship will visit a pilot project of artificial groundwater recharge well in Kachnar Park installed by IWMI in collaboration with WaterAid, and Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) to address water scarcity, reduce the climate shocks of flash flooding, and recharge groundwater.

The project has demonstrated the application of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for sustainable groundwater management.

Currently, PCRWR and Capital Development Authority (CDA) is also in the process of establishing 100 rainwater harvesting wells at different sites in Islamabad.

Similarly, in Lahore, the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) has installed an underground rainwater storage reservoir to recharge groundwater and reduce the chances of urban flooding.

The establishment of groundwater recharge facilities in Lahore and Islamabad are contributing towards preventing water from getting wasted, recharging groundwater resources, and bridging the gap between water supply and demand.

Like Islamabad and Lahore, other major cities of Pakistan, including Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta can also adopt and implement such NbS to tackle the twin challenges of urban flooding and water scarcity.

Such steps will also enhance the city's resilience to climate change impacts. Evidence-based policy advocacy could prove instrumental in this regard.

Realizing critical role played by media in strengthening policy dialogue around sustainable urban development, IoU, and Heinrich-B�llStiftung (hbs) are regularly engaging newsmen by establishment of Eco-Journalists' Cohort having several successes to its credit, pertaining to policy advocacy around the environment and climate change.

Over the years, the cohort membership has increased to over 250 environmental journalists, while reporting on environmental issues has also increased manifold.