Islamabad: A team of national and international experts conducted five day training on water accounting principles.
Responding to the urgent need and renewed interest of various stakeholders in water management, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) organized this training with a focus on water accounting and auditing. The training will enable participants to apply the acquired skills and understanding to promote evidence and databased policy making in managing water for use in the agriculture sector.
35 representatives from Ministry of Food Security and Research, Ministry of Water, Ministry of Climate Change, WAPDA, provincial irrigation departments, Crop Reporting Service, National Agriculture Research Center (NARC), Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) attended this training.
The training highlighted the importance of water accounting which lays down the foundation for better water governance. This is key to resolving the water crisis in Pakistan as it can provide sound, reliable data, which can guide the judicious management of water resources.
Mr Farrukh Toirov, Deputy FAO Representative in Pakistan expressed FAO commitment to providing technical expertise incorporating the latest available technology for better management of water in Pakistan to ensure sustainable agriculture. This will also help address the impacts of climate change on the availability of water, he said.
Participants agreed that water accounting offers multiple benefits providing a clearer situation analyses regarding availability and utilization of the resource. It is an invaluable tool to resolving water problems and guiding sustainable management of water resources.
Dr Robina Wahaj, Land and Water Officer FAO addressing participants said that coordination, integration and analyses of data is key for sustainable management of water. She also said water management should become the backbone of all water management decisions in Pakistan. With one system in place, complex decisions can be based on evidence she added.
The trainers included Dr. Wim Bastiaanssen – Professor for Global Water Accounting at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Ms. Zaigham Habib – Water Expert, and Ms. Mehwish Ali – GIS Officer.
