Project Overview

The Government of Australia in collaboration with the Government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan has launched “Australian Water Programme for Pakistan” under which several joint initiatives have been started. The project titled Improving ground water management to enhance agriculture and farming livelihoods in Pakistan” is a step toward more effective groundwater use for social, economic and environmental benefits. The core of this project is collaboration through partnerships to address the complexity of achieving effective and fair groundwater management. This project aims to build the capacity of researchers, farmers, farming communities and relevant government and non-government agencies to improve groundwater management in ways that enhance farming family livelihoods in Pakistan. Building capacity means building skills, knowledge and confidence, alongside the provision of tools and processes. The project is designed to provide an enabling environment for communities to participate in the research process and to develop socially acceptable solutions. The key outcomes by the end of the four year project would be: i) Farmers, farming organisations and partner non-government organisations have started introducing improved groundwater management practices, ii) Government agencies in Pakistan have started developing/ demonstrating improved groundwater-related planning, monitoring, management strategies, options and policies, and iii) Relevant provincial-level government agencies, non-government organisations and farming organisations have developed effective partnerships for ongoing discussion on groundwater management issues and solutions. The projects is being implemented in three provinces of Pakistan including Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab. The project is being funded by ACIAR and also CSU. The CSU is also the leading partner whereas PCRWR is facilitating national-level project coordination and management. The other partners are: ICARDA, provincial irrigation Departments (PID, SID, BID), UAF, UAAR, SAU, NED-UET and MUET.