Speakers at a workshop titled 'Strengthening City-Wide Partnership to Promote Collective Action for Water Stewardship', expressed deep concern over lack of appropriate preventive policies to address metropolitan city's water issues.
The said, "Water supply of Pakistan's largest city relies on surface water and groundwater sources but there is no proper planning in place overcome the water crisis. The workshop, held at a local hotel, brought together a diverse group of stakeholders, including representatives from various government departments such as the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWS&C).
It also included religious scholars, such as Jamia Darul Uloom, representatives from civil society, academia and researchers from NED University, and representatives from private sector businesses. The session aimed to establish a workable Collective Action Platform for addressing water related issues.
Dr. Conor Linstead, Freshwater Specialist at WWF-UK, emphasised the significant potential benefits of establishing a platform to foster collaboration among diverse stakeholders. He mentioned that such a platform could serve as a cornerstone to promote effective water supply system through a collective action approach.
He said, bringing together various stakeholders ranging from policymakers, industries, and local communities to environmental experts could create an avenue for sharing knowledge, resources, and strategies aimed at sustainable water management.
Aftab Chandio, Chief Engineer Sewerage, Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KW&SC), elaborated on the corporation's strategic initiatives aimed at transforming Karachi's water infrastructure.
Among the highlighted projects were the Hub Canal and the much-anticipated K-IV project, both of which are pivotal to addressing the city's growing water needs. In order to successfully establish a collective action platform for water stewardship, WWF-Pakistan aims to develop a Multi Stakeholder Platform (MSP) where all the relevant stakeholders will be engaged in a timely and effective manner.
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