Training: Govt officials to learn water management in US

Study tour will be hosted by the Colorado State University which is known for its research programmes.

ISLAMABAD:

Around a dozen government officials from across the country will travel to the United States on a study tour to learn about irrigation water management practices.

The government-sponsored visit will be held from June 16 to June 27 with water specialists from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan participating.

The ten-day study tour will enable provincial government officials and project staff working in the development sector to come up with more efficient water management policies, design high-efficiency irrigation systems, and enhance agricultural productivity and marketing linkages.

USAID Acting Deputy Country Director Jeff Bakken called the initiative “part of the United States’ commitment to support the development of Pakistan’s agricultural sector”, adding that participants will be exposed to some of the best practices used in the United States.

The study tour will be hosted by the Colorado State University which is known internationally for its research and educational programmes related to water management solutions, farm water management, efficient irrigation systems, and water policy reforms.

Participants are scheduled to visit an irrigation project, a land cooperative, packing sheds, agri-businesses, and farms where they will learn various aspect of water management in the agricultural sector.

The tour will also include visits to the CSU Agricultural Research Development and Education Center, the CSU Horticulture farm, and the Northern Colorado Irrigation Ditch Association.

“Pakistan is currently facing extreme water crisis which hinders food production and economic growth. Such study tours as we are about to undertake are essential for introducing international best practices in water management in the agriculture sector” said one of the participants.

Pakistan has one of the world’s largest irrigated agriculture sectors. The vast majority of the country’s water resources – approximately 95% are used for agricultural purposes.

Published In The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2012.