ISLAMABAD-Pakistan's International Water Management Institute (IWMI), with the support of USAID funds, recently organized a crucial consultation workshop with a central focus on โTorrents Hill: Turning Risk into Opportunitiesโ. This workshop served as a platform to address the challenges posed by hill torrents and explore innovative solutions.
The workshop highlighted the essential role of community engagement, cross-sector collaboration and expert guidance in unlocking transformative potential within these challenging environments. He also reaffirmed IWMI Pakistan's unwavering commitment to sustainable water management practices that empower communities and improve productivity in areas affected by hill torrents.
Dr. Sarfraz Munir, researcher at IWMI Pakistan, described the workshop as marked by interesting discussions, collaborative presentations and expert opinions. He brought together community members and stakeholders to collectively address water issues and adapt to the hill stream context.
Muhammad Nawaz, development specialist at USAID/Pakistan, emphasized the importance of collaboration and engagement with relevant government departments, policymakers, the private sector, academia and local communities.
The primary objective is to listen and learn from first-hand experiences and work collaboratively to address and mitigate the challenges posed by changing rainfall patterns and the increasing threat of flooding.
A noteworthy aspect of the workshop was the Community Listening Session, which provided an invaluable platform for community members to engage in meaningful dialogues about their experiences and challenges in dealing with heavy rainfall originating in the hills in the form of torrents. Community elders shared their ideas during this interactive meeting.
This collaborative discourse allowed for the exploration of potential solutions and strategies to transform the inherent risks associated with hill torrents into constructive opportunities that benefit the broader community. The participating communities were from Daraban Zam, Tank Zam and Gomal Zam areas of Tank and Dera Ismail Khan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The workshop was further enriched with informative presentations from various sectors including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private sector and public sector.
Distinguished speakers like Eng. Tariq Ali from Irrigation Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Munawar Khatak from HELVETAS Pakistan and Eng. Zahoor Ahmad from Ages Consultants, Peshawar, shared their knowledge and experience.
The event also featured an insightful panel discussion chaired by Mr. Nazim Ali, Representative of USAID, which focused on the priorities of the public and non-governmental sectors.
