CSIRO Team Conducted Graduate Seminar at USPCAS-W, MUET

A team of researchers from Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) includes Mr. Mobin-ud-Din Ahmad and Mr. Joel Stewart, have conducted a graduate seminar in the seminar Hall, ORIC MUET. The team has shared the experiences on their current researches and initiatives in Pakistan. Presently, the CSIRO, along with the stakeholders in Pakistan, are engaged in an initiative undertaken by Australian Government on South Asia Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP) on the platform of Friends of Democratic Pakistan.

The main objective of the initiative is to carry out Indus basin modeling to generate confidence and cooperative decision-making across jurisdictional borders for the effective and equitable management of shared water resources. While sharing the presentations on Pakistan-Australia Indus SDIP project: Overview and key research highlights, the researchers gave a briefing on Indus Context, its background, CSIRO approach – momentum for change.

They shared the SDIP project plan and its road map impacts regarding the Indus Integrated Modelling Framework: Linking Field, Irrigation System and Basin scales. The researchers also shared the delivery approach and pathway for establishing connections between water modeling science and planning, policy and practice in water resource management. They presented the overview of Indus River Systems Model, Background and Evolution of the Source Modeling platform, the Water Sector Task Force Report Action Plan and the latest facts and figures of water flows of Indus.

The Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP) is an Australian government initiative with the goal of increasing water, food and energy security in South Asia, targeting the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and girls. CSIRO is one of the several partners that are delivering this initiative. SDIP focuses on three major river basins; the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra.

Mr. Mobin-ud-Din Ahmad, Indus SDIP Project Leader told that in Pakistan, the project has two type of partners i.e. policy partners and delivery partners. Policy partners include EAD, Pakistan Ministry of Water and Power (WAPDA, IRSA, PCIW, NESPAK, CEA, and FFC) and all provincial Irrigation departments of Pakistan. Whereas the delivery partners include IFPRI, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam, Pakistan Metrological Department (PMD), Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR), WWF-Pakistan, Mehran University of Engineering & Technology (MUET) Jamshoro.

On this occasion, Dr. Bakhshal Khan Lashari presented the souvenirs and traditional gifts to the CSIRO delegation.

USPCAS-W Faculty, Students, and Officials from Irrigation Department, Government of Sindh participated in the seminar.