IWMI Holds National Consultation Workshop

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Mar, 2024) The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan on Wednesday organized a national consultation workshop titled "Updates on Current Status of Water Accounting in Four Provinces of Pakistan and Developing National Level Water Accounting Guidelines".

The workshop was organized under the UK Aid-funded Water Resource Accountability in Pakistan (WRAP) Programme, and aimed to support the implementation of the National Water Policy (NWP).

Director for Water, Food, and Ecosystems and Team Leader for the WRAP Programme Component 1: CRS-IWaG, Dr Mohsin Hafeez briefed the meeting on the provincial consultations for the Water Accounting Journey.

He informed that IWMI Pakistan had initiated work on Water Accounting and Water Resources Assessment at the federal level under the programme.

Furthermore, he said that developing a National Water Accounting Framework would enable the government to make informed decisions and resolve disputes between the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, KP, and Balochistan. He added that the authorities have information on surface water for the Indus Basin, but groundwater data is unavailable, which hinders accurate decision-making for water management.

While giving an overview of the WRAP Programme Component 1, Dr Hafeez said that IWMI Pakistan had developed a water accounting framework at the federal level in Punjab's Okara district.

In addition, Eddy Covariance flux towers were installed in Okara, Chakwal, Rahim Yar Khan, and Sheikhupura, which will provide data on water and carbon emissions in agriculture and contribute to agroecological zoning.

Dr Hafeez also mentioned that IWMI Pakistan organized four consultation workshops at the provincial level.

The workshops brought together all key stakeholders, including federal and provincial government officials, policymakers, water experts, and practitioners from across the country, to discuss and deliberate on the importance of Water Accounting and its implications for sustainable water management in Pakistan, he informed.

Speaking on the occasion chief guest and Federal Secretary Ministry of Water Resources, Syed Ali Murtaza, shared insightful perspectives on the government's commitment to addressing the complex interplay of water, food, and climate challenges.

He expressed concern over the lack of a water framework in Pakistan for 70 years and highlighted the groundwater depletion situation in Multan and Lahore.

Chairman Federal Flood Commission (MoWR), Engr. Ahmad Kamal presented an overview of challenges and opportunities in the Indus Basin regarding water accounting and management.

He said that Pakistan is the eighth most vulnerable country to climate change, and over the last 30 years, they have been ranked amongst the top 10 climate-vulnerable countries. There is no groundwater regulatory framework, and anyone can abstract as much groundwater as they want, leading to fast depletion of groundwater sources across Pakistan, he added.

Participants were divided into five groups belonging to Punjab, KPK, Sindh, and Baluchistan which discussed the Development of National Water Accounting Guidelines and the way forward.