EU-Funded RBWRP Training on "Integrated Watershed Planning" Concludes at USPCAS-W; Engr. Waleed Mahdi, Head of FAO Balochistan Chaired Closing Ceremony
FAO, under the EU-funded Revival of Balochistan Water Resources Programme (RBWRP), organized a five-day training on “Integrated Watershed Planning - Participatory and Technical Approaches” at the U.S.-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W), Mehran University of Engineering and Technology, Jamshoro.
The training brought together 20 mid-and senior-level officers from Balochistan’s irrigation and water management departments, strengthening their capacity to assess watershed conditions and develop practical approaches for sustainable water and natural resource management.
The training combined technical knowledge with participatory planning, covering watershed hydrology, land-water interactions, erosion and sedimentation, GIS applications, watershed assessment and prioritization, soil and water conservation, water harvesting and climate resilience.
Participants also gained practical experience through hands-on exercises in water quality measurement, GPS and GIS applications, soil salinity assessment and water quality monitoring, alongside a field visit to the Hydro Informatics Center (HIC) of the Sindh Irrigation Department and the Flux Tower at Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tando Jam.
A key focus was translating technical knowledge into participatory watershed management plans that incorporate community priorities, institutional responsibilities and appropriate technical interventions. Sessions also examined the institutional framework for watershed management and experiences under RBWRP. The training strengthens the capacity of Balochistan’s water-sector institutions to support more informed, participatory and climate-responsive approaches to watershed management.
The closing ceremony was chaired by Engr. Waleed Mahdi, Head of FAO Balochistan. In his remarks, he highlighted the importance of capacity building for government officials of Balochistan and emphasized the need for a Training of Trainers (ToT) approach to ensure that the knowledge and skills gained during the program are disseminated to other colleagues and relevant stakeholders. Dr. Kamran Ansari expressed his appreciation to Engr. Waleed Mahdi for sparing his valuable time to attend and chair the closing ceremony. The ceremony concluded with the distribution of certificates to the participants.
