New building inaugurated for US-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Water

United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director Jerry Bisson and Deputy Mission Director Denise Herbol on Thursday inaugurated a new building and research centre at the Mehran University of Engineering & Technology (MUET), Jamshoro. 

The facility has been constructed with the support of the US government under the US-Pakistan Centre for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W) project, according to a press release issued by the American consulate general. 

Highlighting the United States’ long-term commitment to strengthen Pakistan’s education sector and help find practical solutions to the country’s water challenges, Deputy Mission Director Denise Herbol said, “The work you all do here will have important implications for growth in Sindh and Pakistan.”

Sindh Education Minister Jam Mehtab Hussain Dahar expressed his appreciation for the USAID support and thanked the United States for assisting in many projects in the province, including basic education and health. 

MUET Vice Chancellor Dr. Muhammad Aslam Uqaili and former vice chancellor Prof SM Qureshi were also present on the occasion. The new three-storey state-of-the-art building has a covered area of 54,721 square feet with an additional 108,600 square feet of open area for landscaping and future expansion. 

The facilities include five classrooms, six research labs, a library, a lecture theater/auditorium, a conference room, student common rooms, research scholars’ room and administration offices.

Through USAID, the US government has provided $20 million for the construction of four new research centres at Pakistani universities. This initiative is part of USAID’s larger $127 million US-Pakistan Centres for Advanced Studies programme that is harnessing applied research to find innovative solutions for Pakistan’s water, energy, agriculture, and food security challenges.