On behalf of faculty, staff and students, I welcome you to the website of the US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W), Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro. Surfing through the website, you will find comprehensive information about the Center and the programs it offers.
The Center was established in 2014 with the generous financial support of USAID and the technical support of the University of Utah (UU) and other partnering universities of the USA, viz. the Colorado State University (CSU) and the University of Nevada. The overall goal is to resolve Pakistan’s water-related challenges by educating and training the next generation of water sustainability leaders.
The Centres’ agenda primarily focuses on postgraduate degree programs (Hydrology, Irrigation and Drainage (HID), Environmental Engineering (Env Eng.), Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sciences), applied policy research, facilitation of public-private partnerships, and provision of policy advice in a range of water-related disciplines. The Center is committed to focusing upon and engaging with stakeholders to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular reference to SDG 6, which focuses entirely on the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation.
With consistent efforts and continual support from the Government of Sindh and HEC, the Center has now achieved the status of a National Water Center. It is a comprehensive facility for teaching and research, including six state-of-the-art laboratories furnished with the latest equipment. These laboratories are fully functional and in intense use by students and faculty of the Center, besides extending analytical and consultancy services to Government and non-Government organizations at the national and international levels.
So far, five batches consisting of nearly 200 students (35% female) have already graduated with MS & Ph.D. degrees. Most of the graduates have joined their jobs and contributed to the water sector agenda through their organizations. Some graduates pursue Ph.D. degrees in and outside Pakistan, including the USA. The Center is proud of its distinguished faculty with regional, national, and global connections and an interdisciplinary approach to solving water-related challenges.
The USAID-funded development phase of the Center ended in December 2019. The Center continues its activities now with the financial support of MUET and through the Center’s resources generated through consultancies, training, and research projects. The Center is moving towards self-sustainability. We have made significant progress in sustaining the Centers’programs and activities and implementing its mandate through winning research grants, carrying out research studies and consultancies, and providing training to professional engineers.
Besides academic degree programs, the Center focuses on Applied Research within the framework of well-conceived water-related themes with an in-built focus on water SDGs, particularly the SDG-6, in addition to the associated climate change concerns. The Center is also actively engaged with industries and conducts collaborative programs with textile, sugar, fisheries, and other sectors to solve water-related problems. The Center has completed more than 60 research projects and consultancies funded by national and international organizations. We continue to publish research data in reports and research papers and focus on policy papers.
The Center maintains an active liaison with stakeholders. It focuses on their training and capacity building, such as diplomas being offered to the officials of the Irrigation Department, Govt. of Sindh, and Govt. of Baluchistan.
As a Director of the Center, I feel honored to have some of the very best faculty, experienced officers and staff, and the full support of the Centre’s MUET and Board of Governors (BoG). Our students also work hard with a commitment to achieve excellence. Together, we can lead this Center to the next level of excellence and move a step further to the level of the Regional Water Center of South Asia.
I want to invite all of you to expand your knowledge and experience through a visit to the Center or explore online.