Energy and Food Security: Australia's support to Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: (APP) The Australian Government will continue its assistance to Pakistan over the next four years to strengthen water, food and energy security, Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson said here.
Australia will invest AUD 11 million in Phase II of the Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP) which is focused on improving energy and water management in the Indus Basin, a press release here Monday said.
Phase II will build on Phase I - a AUD4 million investment which helped strengthen the capacity of Pakistan officials to take an integrated approach to water resource management.
SDIP, a 12-year program which began in 2013, aims to promote water, food and energy security in South Asia through improved management of shared water resources; renewable energy cooperation; sustainable, climate resilient agricultural practices; and strengthened national capacity and coordination.
High Commissioner Adamson said Australia was working with Pakistan to implement efficient water use practices at the farm and community levels and to encourage better coordination of water resource management at the provincial level to help mitigate the effects of climate change and increasing population pressures on water availability.
"Australian experts have been assisting Pakistan since the 1980s in water management including water harvesting and crop water productivity in Balochistan; irrigation efficiency for mango and citrus orchards in Punjab and Sindh; and construction of community management of drinking water and drainage facilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa," Adamson said.
"SDIP Phase II will promote best practice in water management and develop and strengthen the capacity and innovation in Indus basin communities which will help them adapt, innovate and cope with the risks related to climatic and non-climatic factors," she said.
