IWMI Organizes Workshop On Water Accounting, Management
Mohammad Ali (@ChaudhryMAli88) Published June 13, 2023 | 09:31 PM
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan organised a consultation workshop on water accounting for accurate assessment of water resources in Punjab, which was attended by experts from government departments, policymakers, and academia
LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jun, 2023 ) :The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan organised a consultation workshop on water accounting for accurate assessment of water resources in Punjab, which was attended by experts from government departments, policymakers, and academia.
The workshop was organised under the UK Aid-funded Water Resource Accountability in Pakistan (WRAP) Programme Component 1: Climate Resilient Solutions for Improving Water Governance (CRS-IWaG).
Addressing the event Dr. Mohsin Hafeez, Director - Water, food and Ecosystems/Team Leader, WRAP Programme Component 1: CRS-IWaG said, "The government has information of surface water for the Indus Basin but groundwater data is unavailable. This obstructs accurate decision-making for water management. The development of national water accounting framework will allow the government to make informed decisions." Dr. Mohsin also informed that IWMI Pakistan under the WRAP Programme Component 1: CRS-IWaG will be developing a water accounting framework at the Federal, provincial (Punjab) and district (Okara) level. IWMI Pakistan is installing Eddy Covariance flux towers in Okara, Chakwal, Rahim Yar Khan, and Sheikhupura, which will provide data regarding water and carbon emissions in agriculture. It will also contribute towards agro-ecological zoning.
Engr. Habib Ullah Bodlah, Chief Engineer � Lahore, Punjab Irrigation Department (PID), discussed the preparation of water accounts by Indus River System Authority (IRSA) at the provincial level. According to him, "The provinces prepare water accounts of their canal system with respect to canal allocations and deliveries. The same are shared with agriculture department and other stakeholders for comments." He also informed that the Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PMIU) - a special unit of PID, is mandated to monitor these allocations and deliveries from main canal to tertiary canal level. Thus, determining unaccounted water from each canal water accounts. Similarly, Water Resources Zone (WRZ) has been established at the provincial level (Punjab), which will be responsible for groundwater monitoring and management, and is also preparing Groundwater Management Information System (GMIS), similar to Irrigation Management Information System (IMIS) for surface water. The Chief Engineer Lahore informed that PID is also preparing models for crop water requirement in order to make its canal indents more intelligent by using GIS/Remote Sensing (RS) products.
Dr. Maqsood Ahmad, Director, Water Management Training Institute (WMTI), On Farm Water Management (OFWM) Punjab, informed that OFWM Punjab is providing technical and financial support to the farmers for adoption of new technologies/practices, as well as building their capacity for successful adoption of latest technologies for improving water use efficiency in agriculture, including drip and sprinkler irrigation systems and using other gadgets. He said, "If a farmer is not doing water accounting and budgeting of water resources available at his farm for efficient management, he will not be able to maximise the agricultural output. Under a new World Bank-funded project, 72 watercourses across Punjab have been selected for water accounting and budgeting, where all the farmers will be provided technical support to prepare complete inventory of all available water resources at their farms, formulate water budget for the crops, adjust cropping patterns as per available resources, and maximise agricultural productivity through better management."A group discussion on key water accounting challenges, gaps, and way forward was also held, in which participants were divided in groups to deliberate on the development of Punjab level water accounting system and its integration with water monitoring system, ensuring the reliability of data, capacity building of institutes, and having necessary policy frameworks in place. The participants suggested capacity building of IRSA related to water accounting, data sharing arrangement among institutions, integrated water accounting i.e., groundwater, surface water, and rainfall data; future projections of water availability assessments from different sectors, incorporating water accounting systems in Water Resources Commission (WRC) of Punjab, groundwater monitoring for entire Punjab, capacity building of experts and institutions, and accounting for the environmental flows of Eastern Rivers (Ravi and Sutlej rivers).
Dr. Muhammad Javed, Director, Strategic Planning and Reform Unit (SPRU), PID, gave the closing remarks and supported water accounting in Punjab for accurate assessment of water availability for informed decision making.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Punjab CM Maryam inaugurates initiative of field hospitals
PM Shehbaz constitutes committee to investigate caretaker govt’s wheat import ..
Women T20I: Pakistan to face West Indies in fourth match tomorrow
Pak-UK 6th Regional Stabilization Conference underway at NDU, Islamabad
World Labor Day being observed today
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 1 May 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 01 May 2024
Govt reduces petrol price by Rs5.45 per litre
Pakistan’s Ambassador to UAE meets Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah
Statement of Engro Corporation - LNG Case Decision
Wasim Akram touches fans’ hearts by new look
Empowering women for employment is the need of hour, says Sadaffe Abid
More Stories From Pakistan
-
Secretary Home pays surprise visit to Central Jail, Borstal Jail
28 seconds ago -
Commissioner review on-going polio campaign in Jamshoro,Kotri
31 seconds ago -
PM wants wealthy, businessmen, industrialists to prioritize improving conditions of labour class
20 minutes ago -
Rallies, seminars organized to mark “World Labour Day”
31 minutes ago -
Rally held to mark Int.Labour day in Nawabshah
41 minutes ago -
PPP always represents workers, deprived class: Kundi
51 minutes ago
-
MPA Amina Sardar demands improvement in laborer conditions
1 hour ago -
Punjab CM Maryam inaugurates initiative of field hospitals
1 hour ago -
Labor day being observe to pay homage to sacrifices of Chicago workers
1 hour ago -
Breastfeeding room inaugurated in BISP center Khairpur
1 hour ago -
IIUI marks Labor Day: Panel discussion on right to education vs. Child Labor held
1 hour ago -
Two drug peddlers held during crackdown
1 hour ago