PCRWR approves five projects for improving groundwater level

August 21, 2017

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) approved five projects for improving groundwater level and to reduce the issue of water scarcity in the country.

The projects included one-year ‘Evaluation of Interceptor Drains and Scavenger in LBOD Component Shaheed Benazirabad’ with the allocation of Rs 14.858 million.

The second project is a three-year ‘Integrated Approach for Control of Waterlogging and Salinity in Low Lying Areas of Sindh’ with the allocation of Rs 59.9 million, official sources said.

A four-year ‘Improved Land and Water Conservation Practices to Enhance Waste Land and Productivity in the Thal Desert’ is also on cards, earmarking an amount of Rs 45.305 million.

‘Exploration of Groundwater Potential and Promotion of Intervention for Rainwater harvesting and Bio-saline Agriculture in Thar’ is a three-year project which would be completed with the allocation of Rs 57.000 million, according to sources.

The last one is the ‘Trans-Boundary Effects on Ground and Surface Waters along the Eastern Border of Pakistan’ with the total cost of Rs 49.447 million expanding to three years time duration.

Giving the details of the ongoing projects, the sources informed that the council is working on ‘Demarcation of Groundwater Quality zones in Indus Plain and Marginal Areas for Sustainable Development and Management of Groundwater (Lower Indus Plain)’ with the allocation of Rs 54.946 million.

‘Establishment of National Capacity Building Institute (NCBI) for Water Quality Management’ has been completed earmarking an initial amount of Rs 323.573 million.

An ‘Integrated Water Resources Management in the Highly Depleted Pishin-Lora Basin of Balochistan is still under process utilising an amount of Rs 48.857 million.

The council has also submitted two projects to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), including a four-year ‘Management of Rainwater in the Dry Areas of Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)’ costing Rs 52.136 million.

While another one is a five-year ‘Integrated Watershed Management for Sustainable Improvement of Livelihood in the Upper Indus Basin’ project also submitted to the ministry estimating an amount of Rs 51.648 million.