President Alvi calls for comprehensive solutions for effective water management

ISLAMABAD, January 20: President DrArifAlvi on Thursday called for adopting comprehensive solutions for the effective management of water in the country. The president, chairing a meeting on “Employment of Integrated Satellite Communication and Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Water Management in Pakistan,” said that climate change and rapid population growth had reduced the per capita availability of water that required efficient water management systems to address the challenge of water scarcity. He underlined the need for employing integrated satellite services for better monitoring and efficient utilization of water resources. The meeting was attended by the Federal Minister for Water Resources MoonisElahi, Secretary Water Resources DrKazimNiaz, and senior government officials. Professor DrKashifKifayat, Coordinator of AIR University, Islamabad, gave a detailed presentation on the overall water situation in the country. The meeting was informed that Pakistan was facing the challenge of water scarcity, and the floods and droughts caused losses of approximately $12 billion a year to its economy. The meeting discussed various solutions to address the challenge of water scarcity and its management. It was agreed to identify and approach the relevant stakeholders to develop a comprehensive response for efficient water management and monitoring. -NNI