The Institute of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering Mehran University of Engineering and Technology organised a one-day National Workshop on the "Sustainable Management of Shallow Ground Water Use in Sindh", with the collaboration of the Higher Education Commission Islamabad, held on17th June 09.
The Minister of Irrigation and Power Department, Engr. Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his presidential address, thanked Mehran University for inviting him to the inaugural ceremony of the very important theme of "Sustainable Management of Shallow Ground Water Use in Sindh" and the Certificate Distribution Ceremony of the Graduate and Associate Engineers of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme. He also praised the Higher Education Commission for providing financial support, for research on groundwater use in Sindh.
The Irrigation and Power Department, Government of Sindh is working for improving irrigation water delivery, water use efficiency, governance, rehabilitation, and modernisation of the irrigation system. The minister mentioned his commitment to change the irrigation system of Sindh according to modern concepts, which must be service-orientated for the stakeholders. He stressed upon his team of senior engineers to make it successful.
Syed Murad Ali Shah informed the audience that it was the desire of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto to alleviate poverty, boost agriculture production and food security. Syed Murad Ali Shah praised the team of Professors of IIDE Mehran University Jamshoro for their dedication and commitment for the successful completion of the Training of Graduate and Associate Engineers under the BBSYDP.
He prayed for all the youth trained under this program and wished that they would prove to be worthy to serve our province and country with the core of their hearts. Professor Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Rajput, Vice Chancellor Mehran University, in his speech, said that water is life, without water life cannot be sustained. He said that like the other countries of the world, Pakistan had also limited water resources.
Due to increasing population of the country, water demand was also increasing day by day as well as from agricultural, industrial and domestic demands. He said that the per capita availability of water is decreasing day by day. Hence, effective planning and management of such an important resource on scientific basis was vital.
Realising the importance of management of fresh groundwater resources, Dr Bakhshal Khan Lashari floated a research project titled "Sustainable Management of Fresh Ground Water for Irrigated Agriculture and Livelihood of Rural Areas in Sindh" and submitted to the HEC for its funding.
He thanked the HEC for funding this project. He said that his faculty members were engaged in research and due to their dedication and commitment, a number of research projects had been funded by the HEC. He informed them that the MUET had produced the first PhD in Engineering, in Pakistan. Dr Rajput highly appreciated the Sindh Government for Human Resource development, and the training of young engineers under Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme (BBSYDP).
He announced and offered the services of MUET to the government of Sindh at any time. He said that he had a highly qualified and experienced faculty. In the end, he prayed for all the trained youths to prove successful in their careers, to serve the province and country. Earlier, Dr Bakhshal Khan Lashari, Director, Institute of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, MUET, Jamshoro welcomed Engineer Syed Murad Ali Shah, who had travelled a long way to grace the occasion.
He welcomed all the guests coming from Universities, IPD, SIDA, NGOs, farmers, WAPDA, OFWM, Media fellows, students and Trainee Engineers. Dr Lashari also delivered an introduction to the National Workshop of the HEC project. The project was approved in April 2007, for three crop seasons, until March 2009.
The major focus was given to three dimensions: 1) Socio-economic 2) Hydro-dynamics and Hydro-salinity and 3) Soil salinity. Dr Lashari said that the groundwater was the second largest reserve of freshwater on earth, which was being used for irrigated agriculture, industries, domestic and recreational purposes. He said that tube well density was increasing day by day.
In 1980, it was 10 TWs/1000 hectares land, which had increased to 32 TWS/ 1000 ha. land in 2002-3. Professor Dr Riaz Ahmed Sohag, Dean Faculty of Engineering, offered the vote of thanks to the Honourable Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Sikandar Shoro, MPA, faculty members, guests for sparing their valuable time. Syed Murad Ali Shah distributed the certificates to the successful graduates and associate-trainee engineers.