Plan to monitor glaciers through remote sensors

World Bank, WAPDA discuss cooperation in water, power projects.

LAHORE:

The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is developing a project for monitoring glaciers through remote sensors, which will be put before regional countries for approval.

“After consulting all stakeholders and with the prior approval of the Government of Pakistan, the project will be put up in a meeting of the Abu Dhabi Group Dialogue scheduled for December in Bangkok,” said Wapda Chairman Raghib Shah.

He was speaking during meeting with a World Bank delegation at the Wapda House here on Wednesday, where they discussed how to enhance cooperation in water and hydropower projects, says a Wapda spokesman.

The delegation was headed by South Asia Region Sector Manager Environment and Water Resources Unit Herbert Acquay. The meeting focused on the second phase of meetings of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue Group, a grouping of seven countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India and Nepal – on water cooperation.

In the meeting, Wapda schemes under the World Bank-funded Water Sector Capacity Building and Advisory Services Project and the 1,410 megawatt Tarbela 4th Extension Project also came up for discussion.

Underlining the need for accelerating cooperation, Shah expressed the hope that Pakistan would get technical and financial assistance during the second phase of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue Group, which would continue until 2016.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2012.