Recharge Pakistan programme: WWF-Pakistan convenes consultative multi-stakeholder workshop

LAHORE: WWF-Pakistan here on Thursday convened a consultative multi-stakeholder workshop for the endorsement of sites and interventions and to get feedback from the stakeholders on pre-feasibility studies on ‘Recharge Pakistan’ programme to apply nature-based solutions for ecosystem restoration and flood risk reduction.

The Recharge Pakistan programme is a joint initiative of the federal ministry of climate change, federal flood commission, under the ministry of water resources, and WWF-Pakistan. This programme enables unprecedented collaboration between several government entities, WWF-Pakistan and other stakeholders to promote nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation across Pakistan’s Indus River Basin.

Public and private stakeholders from across the province attended the workshop which included presentations on the Recharge Pakistan programme by senior WWF officials and a discussion on the findings of the pre-feasibility study by Water Sprint Limited (WSL), the project consultant hired by WWF-Pakistan.

Speaking about the programme, Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General, WWF-Pakistan stated, “Typically, we have focused on hardcore, grey infrastructure. However, this must be supplemented by nature-based solutions when we talk about climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Recharge Pakistan is a flagship programme, which aims to increase water storage and groundwater recharge through floodplain and wetlands management, and hill torrent management while building the resilience of vulnerable communities through climate-adapted, community-based natural resource management.” He added that the project is now at a critical stage, where details of sites and interventions are under consideration. “It is important to evaluate and select intervention sites on a scientific basis and we are fortunate that relevant government departments and a wide array of stakeholders from the non-profit sector, academia and research, are contributing towards this and taking ownership of the programme”. Dr Masood Arshad, Senior Director Water, Food and Climate, WWF-Pakistan delivered a detailed presentation about the key components of the programme; including flood risk management, enhancing resilience of vulnerable communities to climate change and enabling a paradigm shift towards ecosystem-based adaptation in Pakistan. He also highlighted how the programme had evolved through a consensus-based approach, with a heavy emphasis on engagement with key stakeholders, ranging from national and sub-national government entities, development partners and donors, research organizations and the international WWF network.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021