By Ayesha Saba

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved three major projects submitted by the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) to help strengthen water security, climate resilience and data-driven planning, according to a document available with Wealth Pakistan.

The projects, to be executed under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), target key challenges, including desert water management, flood mitigation, wastewater treatment and groundwater monitoring.

Among the approved initiatives is a Rs110.59 million project for integrated water resources development through rainwater harvesting, bio-saline agriculture and aquaculture in the Thar Desert. The project is designed to improve water availability and livelihood opportunities in arid regions over three years.

Another Rs147 million project aims to enhance climate resilience in Gilgit-Baltistan through headwater management, geochemical assessments and risk characterisation of rivers, springs and lakes.

A Rs35.5 million hydrological assessment initiative will evaluate hill torrent potential and develop strategies for efficient utilisation to mitigate flooding risks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Another two projects have also been submitted to the relevant forum for approval, including a Rs139.385 million water security risk mapping initiative in South Punjab, and a project of the same cost to transform wastewater into a green opportunity by introducing modern wastewater treatment strategies.

These projects are expected to strengthen regional planning, improve water governance and promote sustainable reuse of water resources.

Beyond development schemes, PCRWR has also outlined a comprehensive portfolio of research programmes aimed at institutional strengthening and evidence-based policymaking. These include expanding the National Water Quality Research and Risk Monitoring Programme for both surface and groundwater to all cities, establishing a National Water Resources Database in line with the PCRWR mandate, and publishing an Annual National Groundwater Atlas to support the implementation of the National Water Policy.

The council has further proposed launching programmes on national wastewater profiling, salinity research and management, annual crop water requirement assessment, seawater intrusion monitoring and impact assessment in the Sindh coastal belt, and the periodic formulation and updating of the National Water Research Agenda every five years.

Credit: INP-WealthPk