Federal Minister for Interior and Federal Minister for Planning Development and Reform Prof. Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said that use of modern technology and innovative methods for water management is need of era to secure water reservoirs in large benefits of the country.
Islamabad, (Pakistan Point News - 26th Feb, 2018) : Federal Minister for Interior and Federal Minister for Planning Development and Reform Prof. Ahsan Iqbal on Monday said that use of modern technology and innovative methods for water management is need of era to secure water reservoirs in large benefits of the country. "The main objective of the conference is to promote the use of space technology applications in water management to the benefit of the developing countries as water is a lifeline for agriculture and economy in these countries", said Ahsan Iqbal addressed as chief guest in "4th International Conference on the Use of Space Technology for Water Management" jointly organized by United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) on behalf of government of Pakistan here.
In his address the minister extended greetings to the foreign participants and said that Chairman SUPARCO Qaiser Anees Khurrum, along with Focal Person of UNOOSA, Dr. Mohamed Tarabzouni , Mr. Lorrent Czaran and Dr. Abed Al Ataway of PSIPW were also present at the occasion. He said that "The objective of the conference is to promote the use of space technology applications in water management to the benefit of the developing countries as water is a lifeline for agriculture and economy in these countries.
" "Water-resources management issues have become so pressing that the World Economic Forum named water as one of its top challenges two years in a row", honorable Minister added. Highlighting the importance of Space Science & Technology Mr. Iqbal said that "The applications of this technology have proven time and again to be cost effective, accurate and worthwhile in many areas, and undoubtedly efficient water management would be possible with the use of this technology.
At this juncture, it is imperative to raise awareness amongst the policy makers to employ this technology in this and other allied fields. " The Federal Minister welcomed all the participants of the conference, appreciated the efforts of SUPARCO for creating awareness amongst decision makers about the benefits of space sciences and technology and said that "It is also estimated that over the next 20 to 25 years, cities in developing countries will double and so will their demand for integrated approaches to managing water supply, water quality, sanitation, drainage and flood management.
" Over a 100 participants, scientists, eminent scholars from America, Australia, China, Saudia, Africa, Canada and Pakistan will take part and present papers in this five daylong conference. In his welcome address Chairman SUPARCO Qaiser Anees Khurrum said thanked UN-OOSA for selecting Pakistan as the destination for this conference along with the national and foreignparticipants for attending it. Highlighting the concern over water management Chairman SUPARCO said that "Water being the second most important element for sustaining life on the planet after air, has infact itself become a huge sustainability issue.
He said the increasing stress on freshwater resources brought about by ever-rising demand and profligate use, as well as by growing pollution worldwide, is of serious concern." Signifying the importance of space sciences in national development Chairman said that "SUPARCO has undertaken landmark projects such as development of geospatial systems for irrigation management, glaciers mapping and monitoring, river and flood vulnerability assessment, crop damage assessment, sea water intrusion mapping and ground water prospection etc.
He said these projects helped in providing accurate information to stakeholders for pragmatic decision making regarding conservation of important resources". Chairman SUPARCO thanked UN- OOSA and PSIPW for their unstinted support and appreciated Team SUPARCO and ISNET for their efforts in making this conference a reality. On behalf of ISNET, Member Space Application and Research (SAR), SUPARCO Imran Iqbal said that "water is a crucial element in the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development.
He said that both as a separate goal and as a cross-cutting issue, over 1.4 billion people in the developing countries have no access to clean and safe drinking water and more than 450 million people are facing water shortage." United Nation (UN) and Pakistan-PSIPW 4th International Conference on the Use of Space Technology for Water Management will continue for the next five days on the pivotal issues of Space applications for water security and risk management, geospatial Information in water Resource Management, Using Space Technology to Address Water Challenges in Mountain Regions, Capacity Building and Cooperation's Initiatives, Case Studies Presentations. Concluding ceremony of the conference will be held on March 2, 2018 in Islamabad and Federal Minister for Energy, Power Division Mr. Awais Leghari will be the Chief Guest of the ceremony.
