COMSTECH Webinar Series on Water Resource Management
“Role of PCRWR in Addressing Water Security Challenges of Pakistan”
By Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ashraf
Chairman, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR)
Date: August 03rd, 2022
Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM Pak Time
Abstract: Pakistan is home to a growing 220 million population. Land and water resources are in abundance but they are challenged by the growing food and livelihood needs of the nation. In addition to socio-economic factors, climate change has also induced stress on existing water resources. This scenario has developed a wide range of issues in the water resources sector of Pakistan. Given the geographic magnitude of Pakistan and its natural resource base, simple but game-changing approaches are required to be adopted. In this regard, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has made just the same difference. Although major water resources development projects are crucial for building national water security, water resources management and conservation are equally important at consumer scale interventions. In doing so, PCRWR has utilized indigenous cultural knowledge as well as advanced digital technologies for generating evidence-based actions in water resources management. These include; rainwater harvesting in deserts, dry mountainous climates, urban rainwater harvesting followed by artificial groundwater recharge, rehabilitation of Karez cultural landscape, land and water conservation in arid and irrigated agriculture, earth observation techniques for surface and groundwater monitoring, digital irrigation advisory services for 20,000 farmers in Pakistan. On the policy side, PCRWR has also added values by sharing its knowledge driven by its execution experience. PCRWR has participated in developing National Water Policy 2018 followed by Provincial Water Acts, reporting and capacity building of Sustainable Development Goal 6. This talk will briefly reflect on these activities undertaken by PCRWR.
Muhammad Ashraf is basically an Agricultural Engineer. He graduated from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, and earned his PhD from the University of Newcastle, UK. He has more than 30 years of research and development experience in water resources development and management in arid and semi-arid areas and has over 100 national and international research publications at his credit. He is also the editor of the journal Paddy and Water Environment published by Springer. Presently, he is working as Chairman, PCRWR. He is also the convenor of Pakistan National Committee of International Hydrological Program (IHP) of UNESCO and the Coordinator of the Upper Indus Basin Network (UIBN).
Flyer of the event: Attached
Target Audience:This webinar is open to academics, scientists, water policy experts and general public from all OIC states.
Register with us to attend this event: https://forms.gle/jrSaSCHS6PozpjvM8
Contact us for further details:
khazima@comstech.org
