water conference
The two-day 7th Karachi International Water Conference (KIWC), titled ‘Water, People, Health – Coping with the Floods’, organised by the Hisaar Foundation, in association with Karachi School of Business and Leadership, was held recently. The conference brought together government representatives, international experts, civil society leaders, private sector actors, academics and youth to deliberate on water security, public health and climate adaptation.
Day 1:
The opening session highlighted Hisaar Foundation’s evolution as a pioneering organisation in the water, food and livelihood sectors. Simi Kamal, Founder and Chairperson of the Hisaar Foundation, said the conference is happening at a critical juncture; it will be a clarion call to return to nature-based solutions. Kamal spoke of a paradigm shift from ‘Think Global, Act Local’ to ‘Think Local, Act Global’.
Following her address, Nadira Panjwani, Founder and Managing Trustee of the Panjwani Charitable Foundation and Trusts, highlighted the evolution of the Panjwani–Hisaar Water Institute into Pakistan’s premier water research facility. Ashraf Kapadia, Former Chairman of Hisaar Foundation, reflected on the Foundation’s two-decade journey.
The second session, titled ‘Citizens’ Commission on Floods: Impact on Water, People and Health’, was chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain. Addressing the issue from all its different angles and highlighting their detrimental impact, were Ehsan Leghari, Rafay Alam, Yasmeen Qazi, Noman Ahmed, Afia Salam, Hammad N Khan and Syeda Malaika Zehra. Javed Jabbar stressed the importance of local government playing its role and Mushahid Hussain pointed out that Pakistan reacts in exactly the same way – with three Cs - whenever a natural disaster strikes: Condolence, Compensation, and Commitment from foreign donor agencies. He noted that the country never learns that, in the long run, this modus operandi does not serve it well.
Additionally, sessions on the streams of Water for People, Water for Health, and Water Justice took place. Topics covered were ‘Advancing South-South Cooperation’, ‘Health and Food Security’, ‘Role of Private Sector in Water’, ‘Water Borne Diseases in Flood Times’ and ‘Indus Water Treaty’.
Day 2:
Day two started with a panel discussion on ‘Urban Drainage and Floods’ under the stream of Water for People. Chaired by Dr Sarosh Lodhi, it was moderated by Dr Noman Ahmed and included panellists Umer Karim, Seema Taher Khan, Alia Shahid, Nazeer Essani and Fahimuzzaman Siddiqui.
The second part of the conference was the highlight of the day, featuring Hisaar Foundation’s signature ‘Café of the Unheard’. Co-moderated by Simi Kamal and Talha Jatoi, it created an open and interactive space for young people to sit with experts and young provocateurs at roundtables, engaging directly on topics ranging from environmental justice to governance and technology. Rapporteurs at each table captured key insights and recommendations to be shared collectively at the end.
The third segment of the day saw Dr Akissa Bahri chairing ‘Putting People First – Indigenous Water Wisdom’. Moderated by Sanaa Zulfikar Causer, its panellists included Faiz Kakar, Kausar S Khan, Shaikh Soaleh, Sohail Naqvi, Sirj ul Haq Ghori and Askari Hasan. Under the stream of Water and Health, Kamran Naeem chaired a session on ‘Sanitation – The Forgotten Part of WASH’, which was moderated by Rahal Saeed. The closing session was also moderated by Sanaa Zulfikar Causer, featured Tofiq Pasha Mooraj, Shabina Ayaz, Aijaz ul Haq and Dr Muhammad Tufail. It explored innovative collaborations and grassroots institutionalisation. An MoU was also signed between Panjwani Hisaar Water Institute and University of Southern Punjab.
Acknowledgements by Ashraf Kapadia brought the two-day international conference to an end, which not only shed light on critical water issues but also provided a platform for collaborative solutions and a renewed commitment to addressing the water crisis.
- You desk!