ISLAMABAD, Nov 04 (APP): The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) hosted a review meeting of the Australia–Pakistan collaborative project on water management, focusing on climate-resilient and adaptive water allocation in Pakistan.
The meeting held with IRSA Chairman and Member Punjab, Amjad Saeed in the chair, was attended by members from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and the Federal Government, along with senior technical officials, said a press release
issued here Tuesday.
The Australian delegation included Dr. Neil Lazarow of ACIAR, Dr. Mobin ud Din Ahmad, and Ms. Susan Cuddy from CSIRO.
Under the Australia–Pakistan MoU on Water Management, both countries jointly developed the Water Allocation Accounting (WAA) Tool between 2018 and 2022. Actively used since 2020, the tool supports seasonal planning, reservoir operations, and inter-provincial water distribution under the Water Apportionment Accord 1991.
To further enhance intra-seasonal planning and address climate-induced hydrological uncertainties, a five-year subsidiary project titled Climate Resilient and Adaptive Water Allocation in Pakistan” (2024–2029) is being implemented with AUD 3 million funding from the Australian Government through ACIAR.
Speaking on the occasion, the IRSA Chairman expressed gratitude to the Australian Government, ACIAR, and CSIRO for their sustained technical and financial assistance.
The Australian team appreciated Pakistan’s management of the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS), the world’s largest contiguous irrigation network, and shared progress on improving the WAA Tool’s spatial resolution—from system zones to canal commands and river reaches.
The meeting also discussed ongoing research initiatives, including transitioning from supply-based warabandi to demand-based irrigation, deployment of soil moisture meters in the Khikhi Distributary Subsystem (District Toba Tek Singh), distributary-level water ponds, and community-based initiatives like kitchen gardening to empower rural women.
The Australian experts also highlighted potential for integrating artificial intelligence into water management processes.