ISLAMABAD: Faced with water estimation challenges in view of changing climate conditions, Pakistan is expected to get further technical and financial support from the Australian government to develop capabilities for intra-season water availability forecasting over a period of five years, ending 2029.

Indus River System Authority (Irsa) on Sunday said the governments of Australia and Pakistan have signed a memorandum of subsidiary agreement for “Climate Resilient and Adaptive Water Allocation in Pakistan” project.

“Under this agreement, Australia will provide AUD3 million for the project which is to be completed in a period of five years, i.e., till 2029,” said Irsa, after a follow-up meeting.

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It is a research project aimed to help improve canal water reliability through improved water allocation decisions and practices by updating the Water Apportionment Accord Tool (WAA-Tool) to include mid-season planning and operations and exploring on-farm water storage options aimed at building climate resilience, adaptive management, and equitable water use for better social and economic outcomes for farming communities.

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research CEO Wendy Umberger and Irsa chairman Abdul Hameed Mengal led their respective side during the meeting.

The Pakistani side expressed gratitude to the Australian government, Australian High Commission and ACIAR for their technical and financial support in developing the WAA-Tool that Irsa had been successfully applying for pre-season and advance water allocation planning.

The fresh agreement would help upgrade the existing WAA-Tool to include intra-season water planning. The tool’s full benefits will be realized when it is used for both pre- and intra-season water planning.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2024