WWF-Pakistan, in collaboration with Centre for Public Policy and Governance (CPPG), Forman Christian (FC) College, arranged a two-day provincial workshop on trans-boundary water governance focused on raising awareness and increasing the capacity of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and various other groups on the issues.
The discussions were global in scope, with a particular focus on the Ravi River. Taking the Ravi River stretch from Madhopur, India to Lahore, Pakistan, as a case study example of a trans-boundary river, key challenges and their impact on the agriculture sector, urban and marginalized communities regarding water quantity and quality were brought under discussion during the workshop dialogue sessions.
Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan, in the opening session here on Wednesday highlighted the importance of a domestic and multilateral mechanism to support the many international water cooperation agreements in place. "The climatic challenges we are facing on the global level demands an increased level of cooperation between countries over shared water resources. Such cooperation over trans-boundary waters will result in benefits reaching well beyond the water sector and will open up new opportunities for riparian states to sustainable development and improved livelihoods; water, food and energy security; flood and drought prevention; and a healthy ecosystem."
Similarly, Dr Saeed Shafqat, Chairperson CPPG, FC College, indicated that there is a yawning difference between the policy narratives of the government and the ground realities in Pakistan. "Through dialogue, deliberation and research we aim to enhance a culture of research that feeds into policy arena. Such initiatives, we expect can help us move from a belief-based to knowledge-based society. This is the spirit and expectation with which we are collaborating with WWF-Pakistan to support research initiatives that bridge the gap between applied research and policy process."
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