Digital tools launched to improve water, climate planning

Islamabad:The International Water Management Institute on Wednesday launched three new digital platforms to help Pakistan better manage its water, food and energy resources amid serious climate challenges.

The tools, called Water Productivity Atlas, Water Body Inventory of Pakistan and Hydro-Economic Model for the Indus Basin, were unveiled during a national workshop here on ‘Water, Energy, Food and Environment (WEFE) Nexus Policy under a Changing Climate in Pakistan.’

Federal and provincial officials, engineers, researchers and members of civil society attended the event, which focused on the WEFE Nexus and how Pakistan can use this approach to deal with the risks of climate change.

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and CGIAR’s Science Programme on Policy Innovations and Climate Action offered support for the workshop.

Dr. Shezra Mansab Ali Khan Khara, Minister of State, Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, praised the initiative, saying it will help the government plan more effectively by using real data, make decision-making more open, and balance the needs of different sectors.

Federal Secretary for Ministry of Water Resources Syed Ali Murtaza said water issues between Pakistan and India had increased the pressure on Pakistan’s water system.

He said better planning was needed to use water more efficiently and support farming. “These tools will help the government make smart decisions about how to use water. They will also improve farming practices and guide better water distribution,” he said.

IWMI Director General Dr Mark Smith said that science, policy, and government agencies need to work together to build climate resilience. “This event is just the beginning for building a more informed, connected, and responsive policy environment” he said. Director at IWMI Dr Mohsin Hafeez said Pakistan must stop treating water, food, energy and the environment as separate problems.

He said there was an urgent need to break sectoral silos and embrace a systems approach to resource governance. These issues are connected. "We must deal with them as a system,” he said.

Senior Climate Lead at the FCDO Anna Ballance said that the UK government was collaborating with Pakistan to create a climate-resilient community. "Our flagship program in Pakistan is the Water Resource Accountability in Pakistan. It's essential to develop a coherent approach that integrates water, food and ecosystems. We strongly encourage ministries to work together, promote widespread usage, and build capacity," she said.

IWMI’s Country Representative in Pakistan Dr Muhammad Ashraf said the work must continue beyond this one workshop. “The new tools and partnerships must become part of how the government plans and invests,” he said.

Dr. Clemens Breisinger, Interim Director of the Policy Innovations Science Programme, spoke about the role of models, platforms and cross-sector dialogues in enabling governments to design better policies. Speakers from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa discussed how better data and planning can support local communities. Engineers, officials and climate experts also shared ideas about how these tools can help Pakistan deal with climate risks in the years ahead.