ISLAMABAD: A diverse group of experts convened for a ground-breaking consultation on community-led Climate Resilient Water Governance Models in Pakistan on Thursday.
Hosted by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF), the consultation aimed to gather expert insights on enhancing resilient water governance systems and policy reforms to address challenges posed by extreme weather events such as floods and droughts, worsened by climate change impacts.
Esteemed attendees included representatives from Sindh Agriculture University in Tandojam, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, the Member Planning Commission, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, ZIZak, USAID’s Higher Education System Strengthening Activity, the Natural Resources Division (NRD), Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), civil society representatives, and other notable experts in the water sector. Their participation highlighted the critical need for collaborative efforts to tackle water governance challenges in Pakistan amidst climate change.
Shabnam Baloch, Country Director of IRC, and Mr. Bilal Anwar, CEO of NDRMF, facilitated the conversation, stressing the importance of incorporating local communities’ voices into project designs and policy formulations. They emphasized active engagement, raising awareness of water rights, and leveraging local wisdom and indigenous knowledge for project designs. Discussions also delved into guidelines for engaging semi-urban/urban segments in water governance systems, scalability challenges, and gaps in planning community-driven initiatives.
Fostering financially viable solutions and addressing issues like hill torrent and urban flooding emerged as key discourse drivers. Participants highlighted the importance of watershed management, water safety, research and development, and evidence-based decision-making for planning and improvement efforts. Experts noted the scarcity of skilled personnel for market-oriented water management and stressed the need for robust data for informed decision-making. They also emphasized documenting lessons from past experiences to inform future strategies, promoting private sector support for value addition in hill torrent agriculture, and reviving traditional practices and indigenous knowledge.
The experts called for a shift towards holistic climate-resilient policies embedding flood management and emphasized community participation at all policy levels. They concluded with unanimous agreement that policies and programs must focus on fostering financially viable, market-oriented water management solutions at the grassroots level, emphasizing value addition, competitive practices, service delivery standards, and balancing supply with demand.
