STAFF REPORT IBD: Pakistan, during the last several years, has registered a remarkable progress in harnessing satellite and space technologies for the socio-economic development process of Pakistan.
SUPARCO has recently organized “International workshop on flood risk mapping using spatial technology” in collaboration with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), UNESCO and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Water Resources and Agriculture Kamal Mujidullah was chief guest on the occasion.
In his remarks, Member SUPARCO, Imran Iqbal, said that “Some of the areas where work has been initiated are land cover classification, disaster relief, glacierstudies, agriculture, geology, land management, hydrology, meteorology, ecologyand environment.
He said, “Pakistan is a country susceptible to a number of hazards. SUPARCO, in the last decade has already carried out various projects to enhance the nations preparedness for floods and its capability to mitigate its aftermath.
These projects are already at mature stages including flood inundation profiling, DNA reports for national and international agencies involved in the mitigation process, estimation of damage to crop by natural disasters development of irrigation water channel record under national program for improvement of water courses.
Kamal Mujidullah appreciated the efforts of SUPARCO to develop space technology applications for national development and said, “Remote sensing technologies have proven to be valuable tools to support effective early warning for disasters like floods and earth quakes.