PAKISTAN WATER WEEK 2023

Water and Food systems are crucial for addressing problems of food insecurity, malnutrition, and diet related health problems. Adequate nourishment in terms of quantity and quality is necessary for healthy living life. Pakistan has consistently ranked among the top 10 most vulnerable countries on the Climate Risk Index during the last two decades. The impacts of climate change on the water are more pronounced than other resources evident as frequent drought and flooding significantly result in reduced water supply, increased water stress, and long-term impacts on the life cycles of water, energy, and food.
Other than water scarcity and drought due to frequent variations in extreme temperatures, the frequency of flash floods has increased in Pakistan. The most recent flash flooding occurred from June to August 2022, and affected 116 districts; 66 districts were declared completely ‘calamity hit’ with absolute loss of standing crops. Over 1200 people lost their lives and 1,343 people faced traumatic injuries during the last. Floods-2022 earmarked PKR 35 billion to aid flood-affected people for their survival and restoration of disrupted livelihoods. The recurrent drought and flood situation, groundwater depletion, inefficient water supply systems, and less crop per unit of water also result in low productivity of agricultural land due to increased costs of input and low prices of outputs. This situation ultimately turns the water resources management into a challenge creating water and food security crises and ultimately affects the ability of Government to progress the country’s economic development.

Pakistan being highly vulnerable to climate change requires key shift towards sustainable development talking strategic decisions for its natural resources. In this process, resilience thinking is highly required for providing sustainable and climate resilient water and food system to the nation. Therefore, a transformational (or cross-sectoral) approach to managing common resources could greatly enhance water, energy, and food security in the country. Adopting this approach, digital solutions are highly required for building the climate resilience and hazard management of the large farming community in Pakistan. In this regard, the implementation strategies to address Pakistan’s climate and water crisis are brainstorming with water researchers, policymakers, professionals, and the general public from around the country. In this connection, PCRWR and IWMI Pakistan office has set the foundations for organizing Pakistan water week annually in the year 2021.

PWW 2023 Goal
Sharing knowledge with the stakeholders, particularly mainstreaming youth and recognizing young water professionals by providing them an opportunity to share their knowledge and visions for a water secure future.
Objectives

The key objectives of the Pakistan Water Week 2023 are to:

1. Enhance public awareness and dissemination of information on water stewardship.
2. Knowledge sharing and skill enhancement of the general public on transformative Pathways for Water and Food System in a Climate Resilient Pakistan
3. Sensitization of policy and decision-makers on the importance of water resources for socio-economic development.

Pakistan Water Week 2023

Pakistan Water Week 2023 is planned to be organized in December 2023. Pakistan Water Week 2023 is focused on two key events, a three-day international conference followed by a two-day national workshop. Based on the theme of water week 2023, the international conference will be inaugurated by a high-profile chief guest. This gathering will host international and national experts, representatives from federal and provincial governments, international development partners, and their country offices. The aim for the Pakistan water week is having high-level discussions on water, climate, and the sustainability transformation. The conference will foster discussions on three thematic areas, including;

a. Transformation for sustainable and climate resilient solutions
b. Politics, policy, and institutions- good governance and strengthening capacities
c. Technologies and innovations- responding to the climate change

The national workshop (December 7-8, 2023) is planned to be organized at Pak-China Friendship Center, Islamabad in collaboration with IWMI, UNICEF and partners. This will comprise activities focusing on the future of “transformative approaches” and how our youth perceive it. Therefore, a number of activities are planned involving students from school to universities, players to thinkers and writers. The national workshop will kick start for two days following the proposed program of interactive activities:

1. Technology show-casing exhibition
2. Debate competitions
3. Essay writing competition
4. Water board games
5. Final year projects for engineering and environmental sciences
6. Student art competitions
7. Student poster competitions
8. Documentary competition

An outline of the Pakistan Water Week 2023 (National Workshop) Activities is given as below:

Public Awareness Campaign: An extensive public campaign will be launched in Islamabad to create awareness among the masses. This campaign may be in the form of key messages in English/Urdu languages regarding water issues, water conservation, etc. This will be carried out through bill-boards, streamers, brochures, SMDs, etc.

Student final year projects: At the undergrad level, students are required to prepare final year projects as part of their studies. Most of such projects are of physical form and show a strong potential for upscaling. This year students from all engineering universities located in the surroundings of Islamabad will be invited to present their final year projects. The best three projects will be awarded certificates of appreciation on behalf of partners.

Debate Competition: A call for the competition will be given through website and approached educational institutes in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. A criterion will be developed before call. A panel of judges will be setup among the experts of the partner organizations. Three top students will be awarded a souvenir/certificate and a cash prize.
Social media campaign: Power of social media may not be ignored in present age as an effective tool for mass communication. A social media campaign will run during Pakistan Water Week on Twitter and Facebook handles.

Student Documentary Competition: This event is focused on engaging students in the less scientific and more interactive on subject of water conservation. The purpose of this activity to enhance sensitivity among youth and providing them a platform to share their concerns and thoughts over water resources management. A call for documentary development will be given through the website and educational institutes in Rawalpindi/Islamabad. A criterion and documentary title will be developed before the call in line with the theme of Pakistan Water Week. A panel of judges will be set up among the experts of the partner organizations to evaluate the student’s documentaries. The top three students for best documentary will be awarded a souvenir/certificate and a cash prize.

Urban sculpture and Art Form: Urban sculpture and art forms is a branch of modern expressive art. The sculpture is very common in the modern world inviting artists to think about modern-day ideas and the future. Such urban sculptures are designed according to the landscape character of a particular region. In this competition, PCRWR intends to invite students of Architecture, Fine Arts, and Landscape engineering to come forward with such monuments and sculptures that may be displayed on roadsides, parks, public bus stands, buses, or shopping centers attracting people for taking snapshots and draw inspirations for them. The theme of these urban sculptures will be “water conservation and climate resilience”.

Technology Showcase Exhibition: An exhibition by water industry, universities, government institutes, etc. will be organized. People from different walk of life will be given an opportunity to visit this exhibition and sensitize about the products/services being offered by this sector. Young entrepreneurs will be encouraged to participate in the exhibition. A call for expression of interest will be launched on the PCRWR website for participation in the exhibition.

Essay Writing Competition: A national-level essay contest will be organized to create a scientific temper among the undergraduate students from science and engineering universities/colleges. The topic for the event is ‘The Possible Role of Youth in addressing Climate and Water Challenges of Pakistan”.

Poster Competition:This activity is designed to provide a platform to promising students from the undergraduate to PhD levels to showcase research projects related to Water-Food-Energy and Ecosystem Nexus. The subjects and the thematic areas of the posters will be aligned with the central theme of Pakistan Water Week. A panel of judges will be set up involving experts from partner organizations. The top three students in each category will be awarded a souvenir/certificate and a cash prize.