Ayesha Saba

Transitioning to a nationwide telemetry system for canals and barrages is critical to accurately measure water levels, enhancing transparency and confidence in water distribution amid pressing water scarcity. Talking to WealthPK, Bilal Iqbal, Senior Scientific Officer from the Water Resources Institute of the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), said about 90% of Pakistan's agriculture depends on the Indus River system. "The water-sharing pattern across the border and within the country is not stable. The primary water-sharing challenge in Pakistan revolves round the equitable distribution of river water among the provinces. Under this water stress, it would be important for the political authority to review and properly evaluate the water-sharing paradigm." Expressing concern, he said, "Water shortage in dry seasons and its abundance in the form of floods both are sources of economic disaster. There is still a lack of a comprehensive framework to tackle the issue of water shortages in the dry season and adequate storage facilities for the flood seasons."

"There is a dire need to improve the water management system and introduce the latest technology so that at least we can estimate how much water is being consumed in each pocket. Another thing is that water policy reforms need to be made more effective," he suggested. Saiqa Imran, Deputy Director at the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources, told WealthPK, "The traditional method employed by the irrigation department for measuring water flow was antiquated and inefficient. This process was not only time-consuming but also prone to inaccuracies and tampering, leading to lack of trust among the provinces regarding the reliability of the data." "The introduction of telemetry system marks a significant departure from this outdated approach. By transmitting data directly to the government's monitoring sites, the telemetry system provides stakeholders timely and reliable information on water flow rates.

This will increase transparency and accountability and help foster confidence among the provinces, as they can now access accurate data without any concerns about manipulation or bias," she added. The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), chaired by Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan, recently discussed critical projects spanning energy, transport, communication, and water resources. The project is under the ownership of the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), with the execution responsibilities given to the Wapda. The CDWP recommended the revised PC-1 titled Installation of Telemetry System for Real-Time Discharge Monitoring at 27 key sites on the Indus Basin Irrigation System, with the total cost of Rs23,834.707 million.

INP: Credit: INP-WealthPk