Press Releases
ISLAMABAD: November 01, 2011 - Time has come to chalk out a plan that can help to form a water treaty between Afghanistan and Pakistan also allow two countries to find a framework that fits both, said by Water Experts who were speaking to a one day water conference held here in the capital.
International experts in the conference urged the need for a greater trust and science-based dialogues between the two inseparable states in order to understand and resolve water issues as well as explore feasible solutions. Several suggestions were made during the conference such as to carry out a capacity audit of water related institutions.
Indus River System Authority (IRSA) was mentioned as a negotiating forum in the conference and suggestion was made to have an IRSA like institution for Pakistan Afghan water issues.
The water conference entitled “Regional Water Governance: Facing Scarcity, Enhancing Cooperation” was organized by Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Pakistan and was funded by French Embassy. The conference was first of its kind in Pakistan which focused water cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The debates linked sub-national partnership and prospective scarcity and climate changes impacts in the country to regional collaboration on water governance. It highlighted challenges and practical opportunities for governing the resources.
The two sessions of the conference, an exclusive expert’s roundtable linking partnerships and scarcity governance and a media event titled “Trans-boundary water management: how to foster cooperation?” were held on Tuesday at a local hotel.
The experts included Former Chairman WAPDA Shams ul Mulk, Federal Secretary of Water & Power Ashfaq Mahmood, Chief Planning Commission(Water),Planning & Development division Naseer A. Gillani, Marcel Kurper CIRAD France, Head of AFD Pakistan Nicolas Fornage, Advisor (Climate Affairs), Ministry of Defence Qamar uz Zaman, Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC), Dr Shahid Ahmad, Specialist IWRN, Planning Commission Zaigham Habib, Chairperson, Hisaar Foundation Simi Kamal , CEO LEAD Pakistan Ali Tauqeer Sheikh and , and various other representatives of national and international organisations working on water related issues.
Speaking to the conference Former Chairman WAPDA Shams ul Mulk said that we need to have people in Pakistan and Afghanistan who say ‘this is our river, not your not mine’. He insisted that in the field of water “sub-optimality is not an option”.
Speaking to the conference CEO LEAD Pakistan Ali Tauqeer Sheikh said that water Treaty between Pakistan and Afghanistan is very necessary to avoid future conflicts. Pakistani civil society he emphasized has a role to play in the process.
Ali Tauqeer Sheikh further said that by initiating a dialogue on trans-boundary water issues, they have laid down foundations of effective governance mechanism and reminded the water community of the necessity to balance human needs and ecological protection.
“We need to develop a water security management plan and also we need to train the next generation of the water diplomats and leaders” he added. Dr. Qamar uz Zaman Chaudhry Advisor (Climate Affairs), said that we need to reassess the 1991 water accord between provinces the principle needs revisiting. We need to develop think tanks and technecial committees for conflict resolution.
He said that public awareness needed to underscore the importance of conservation and sustainable use of water resources.
Alexandre Taithe, from the French institute the Strategic Research Foundation, emphasized the possibility to build on climate change related initiative for cooperation in the region. Frederic Bessat, from the French Embassy, encouraged the experts to think about possible “joint, multi-disciplinary, scientific fact finding working group” on Afghanistan/Pakistan cooperation.
Federal Secretary of Water & Power Ashfaq Mahmood said that it’s the right time for Islamabad to sit with Kabul and form a water treaty or else it will be too late.
The consensus of the workshop was that Pakistan should push Afghanistan to form a water treaty not only to avoid future water conflicts but also to draw on some alternatives if Indus supplies fall short as Pakistan has already become a water stressed country.
