Pak-Australian Institutes Ink MoU For Efficient Participatory Irrigation Institutions

(@FahadShabbir)

Pak-Australian institutes ink MoU for efficient participatory irrigation institutions

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 03rd Oct, 2016 ) : The Institute of Water Resources Engineering and Management (IWREM) and Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) jointly signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) Pakistan for a project, "Efficient Participatory Irrigation Institutions to Support Productive and Sustainable Agriculture in South Asia".

The signing ceremony was held on Monday at U.S.-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Jamshoro. The Country Manager ACIAR Dr.

Munawar Raza Kazmi, Director IWREM Dr. Bakhshal Khan Lashari and General Manager (Transition) SIDA Nazeer Ahmed Essani signed the MoU. While speaking on the occasion, Dr. Kazmi said that this is three-year project and is commissioned by University of South Australia, which will be implemented in Pakistan and India.

He said the project focuses on irrigation management selected states of East India that are Bihar and Assam and Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. He said that the multidimensional comparative study of water related issues of the both countries will be carried out through this project and there are other water related institutes and departments, which are implementation partners of this project.

Dr. Kazmi elaborated the aims and objective of the project, which aims at to improve the analytical skills and understanding of policy makers and irrigation officials specifically as they relate to Participatory Irrigation Management.

The Dean Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering Mehran University Prof.

Dr. Ghous Bux Khaskhelli said that water scarcity has emerged as a global phenomenon and to be treated globally. He said that Pakistan and India shared the similar problems of water governance, crop pattern, ecosystem, and environmental conditions, whereas this MoU will help to improve the water governance issues of both countries.

Dr. Khaskhelli assured full support on the part of MUET administration to implement of the project. The Director IWREM Dr. Bakhshal Khan Lashari said that IWREM under the auspices of USAID sponsored USPCAS-W at Mehran University is a state-of- the-art centre which is endeavouring to solve the contemporary water problems of the country by developing human capital.

He said that the water centre is equipped with modern water laboratories to carry on applied research on water sector in Pakistan. The MoU with ACIAR will pave the way for IWREM to work for water governance in South Asia region, he added.

The General Manager (Transition) SIDA Nazeer Ahmed Essani said that SIDA is very much committed to solve the water governance issues of the province whereas the project will be implemented efficiently.

He said that this project will help for better understanding of water issues of India and Pakistan through advanced research based studies and also will help to improve the water governance in both of the countries at micro level.

Among others, Dr. Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry Chief of Party USPCAS-W University of Utah, Dr. Kamran Ansari, Dr. Rafique Chandio, Dr. Rasool Bux Mahar, Dr. M. Munir Babar, Engr. Parvaiz Ahmed Banbhan, Masroor Ahmed Shahwani, Shahid Panhwar also present on the occasion.