ISLAMABAD, Jul 20 (APP): A day-long workshop on ‘National Water Policy, 2018 (Implementation Framework)’ will be at here at Wapda’s Staff College Auditorium, H-8 on Thursday.
Federal Minister for Water Resources Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah will be the chief guest while Secretary Water Resources Dr Kazim Niaz will give a welcome note on the national water policy implementation.
Participants of the workshop would discuss innovative technologies to meet the present and future water needs, and how the priorities of provincial governments could be linked with the economic prosperity of the country, a news release said.
Dr Mac Kirby from Australia will deliver a keynote address on ‘water resource governance’ and Dr Stephen Davies will highlight ‘water resources management and conservation’, while Dr Gregory L Morris of the United States will deliberate on ‘water resources development’.
Representatives of ministries of Climate Change, Planning, Development & Special Intiatitives and National Food Security & Research, Pakistan Meteorological Department, irrigation departments of all the four provinces, secretaries of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, international financial institutions, acedemia and civil society will present their views in different sessions.
The first session will be chaired by Country Director of IWMI-Pakistan Dr Mohsin Hafeez, which will explore the answers of key questions about exploring sustainable water use, surface water diversion and ground water extraction, limits for sustainable and productive agriculture, and long term impact of the surface water allocation on ground water availability / sustainability.
The panelists, including Irsa chairman; P&D representatives from Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan; and Dr Mobinuddin Ahmed, CSIRO, Australia will deliberate on out of box proposals for improvement in surface and groundwater management.
Australia.
Another session chaired by Ahmed Kamal, Chief Engineering Adviser/Chairman Federal Flood Commission, will discuss ‘water resource management and conservation’. It will also explore fair assessment of water availability and demand for current times and after 10, 25 and 50 year. It will define appropriate planning and water resources development.
Another session will be chaired by Joint Secretary Water Resources Syed Muhammad Mehar Ali Shah to discuss ‘integrated water resources development agenda’, explore how adequate was to ensure future water and food security and if not, what were the alternate plans to make these plans and by when
It panelists included Wapda chairman Wapda, Chief Water, Planning Commission, irrigation secretaries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and Dr Gragory L Morris.
In the closing session, Dr Mohsin Hafeez will present the ‘Synthesis Report on Water Governance’, and Ahmed Kamal to present ‘Synthesis Report on Water Resources Management and Conservation’.
Another ‘Synthesis of Report on Water Resources Development’ will be presented by Syed Muhammad Mehar Ali Shah, while Secretary Water Resources Dr Kazim Niaz will deliver concluding remarks.
