Lahore, November 12, 2015 (PPI-OT): In line with the directive of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, WAPDA today organized the 5th Consultative Session on Water Security Issues at Peshawar. Addressing on the occasion, WAPDA Chairman Zafar Mahmood apprised the participants that these consultative sessions are being arranged to interact with stakeholders and experts to finalize recommendations for the Prime Minister’s initiatives on water security. He said that role of the provinces is becoming more important on water issues. Therefore, inter-provincial harmony is a must to devise an effective strategy for future water requirements in the country, he added.
The Chairman said that our life depends upon water, adding that water needs have been increasing rapidly due to fast population growth. Despite decreasing per capita water availability in Pakistan, we have been spendthrift in use of water in all walks of life, he lamented. There is a dire need to think on national level about water issues, which continue to get complicated with each passing day, the Chairman added.
In the wake of a brief introduction about water security in Pakistan by WAPDA Advisor Dr. Izhar-ul-Haq, the stakeholders and experts had a detailed discussion on water issues. Pakistan Water Partnership Chief Executive Office Sardar Muhammad Tariq gave a comprehensive account of water security in Pakistan. KP Planning and Development Department Secretary Zafar Ali Shah expressed his views on water management, while Small Dams Director General Mujahid Saeed made recommendations about floods and droughts. Dr. Rashid Rehan from UET Peshawar briefed the session on water quality.
CECOS University of Emerging Sciences and Technology Vice Chancellor Dr. Riaz Khattak dilated upon utilization of flash floods followed by the presentations made by Rab Nawaz Khan of KP Agriculture Department about impacts of climate on water resources of Pakistan, Dr. Inam Ullah from University of Agriculture Peshawar about crop zoning. Dr. Hussain Ahmad from Environmental Protection Agency Peshawar talked about climate change and adaptation measures, while Dr. Bashir Khan from AJK apprised the session about emerging issues of AJK water resources.
Dr. Mehboob Alam from Iqra International University apprised the participants about need of using global models for timely prediction of floods and droughts. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali from University of Peshawar made a comparison of the social and environmental implication of small, medium and large dams. Engineer Shafiq Ahmed from KP Agriculture Engineering Department spoke of ground water. Mr. Arsalan Haider from BAK Consultants presented a holistic approach to water issues.
It is worth mentioning that the session was attended by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Secretary Amjid Ali Khan, KP provincial Secretaries of Planning and Development, Population Welfare, Agriculture, Environment, Forestry and Wildlife and Public Health Engineering department and representatives of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ and K) and Gilgit-Baltistan.
In addition to various educational institutions namely University of Peshawar, University of Agriculture Peshawar, University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Peshawar, Sarhad University of Engineering and Information Technology Peshawar and Iqra University Peshawar, representatives from a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOS) namely Sarhad Rural Support Programme, The Change Foundation, and Creative Community Development Programme also participated in the event.
For more information, contact:
Muhammad Abid Rana
Director Public Relations
Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA)
G-32, WAPDA House, Lahore
Tel: +92-42-99202633
Fax: +92-42-99203144
Cell: +92-333-4458293
Email: mabidrana@gmail.com
Website: www.wapda.gov.pk