The goal of the media workshop for effective reporting on water governance was to educate journalists from print, electronic, and digital media about water governance in Pakistan.
In support of the UK Aid-funded Water Resource Accountability in Pakistan (WRAP) Program, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan organised a media workshop for effective reporting on water governance on Thursday at a nearby hotel.
The goal of the media workshop for effective reporting on water governance was to educate journalists from print, electronic, and digital media about water governance in Pakistan. The speakers emphasised the significance of efficient water governance and the ways in which water resource management could be enhanced in order to ensure water availability for various sectors, particularly agriculture and industry.
Dr. Mohsin Hafeez, Country Representative for Pakistan IWMI and Team Leader of the WRAP Programme, stated that his organisation is working on a number of water-related reforms through the UK Aid-funded programme, including groundwater management information systems, irrigation demand management, data as a service (DaaS), water allocation systems, and water resources assessment.
In addition to promoting sustainable water use in Punjab to support the implementation of the Punjab Water Act 2019, these reforms will enhance water governance in the Indus Basin to support the implementation of national policies (water and climate change).
Dr. M. Javed provided a summary of the 2019 Punjab Water Act and how the WRAP Program was assisting with its implementation. Engr. Hafiz Qaisar Yasin gave a presentation on Farm Water Management (FWM) and informed the participants of the importance of improving Punjab’s water governance.
He emphasised various water governance policies and emphasised the importance of sound farm governance. In order to improve water governance and advance irrigation demand management (IDM)/Nature-Based Solutions, he also emphasised the importance of implementing water budgeting and accounting at the farm level.
A pilot project for effective water management, mechanisms for better water allocation, and gender-inclusive water planning was launched in the district of Okara, and experts from IWMI Pakistan briefed the participants on these initiatives as well as the water governance reforms being piloted through the WRAP Programme.
They claimed that during the following fiscal year of the WRAP Program, IWMI Pakistan would schedule upcoming capacity-building workshops and media visits to the pilot project in the district of Okara. In the meantime, the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at Punjab University hosted a seminar to raise awareness of “World Water Day.”
Faculty members, students, and administrators were present, including the Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saleem Haider, Chairman of the Department of Food Science, Dr. Shinawar Wasim, Humaira Ubaid, and Muhammad Shahzad Ahmed.
Speakers at the event stressed the value of water and discussed the resources, issues, and solutions related to clean water. They claimed that the nation’s water supplies were rapidly depleting and that appropriate water use procedures needed to be put in place.