Senate Functional Committee on Problems of Less Development Areas has directed Ministry of Science and Technology to initiate maximum research projects for clean water, dehydrate of fruits and value-addition products in less developed and backward areas of the country.
The Committee met with Senator Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar in the chair at Parliament House on Friday. Federal Minister for Science and Technology Rana Tanveer Hussain, Senators Samina Abid, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini, Mrs Rubina Khan, Secretary for Ministry of Science and Technology Fazal Abbas Maken and others participated in the meeting. Chairman of Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources (PCRER) Dr Muhammad Ashraf told the Committee that the projects including (i) Exploration of Groundwater Potential and promotion of Interventions for Rainwater Harvesting and Biosaline Agriculture in the Thar desert of Rs 59.367 million in Sindh, (ii) Integrated Approach for Control of Water logging and Salinity in Lying Areas of Rs 55.262 million in Sindh and (iii) Improved Land and Water Conservation Practices to Enhance Wasteland Productivity in Thal Desert of Rs 46.87 million have been approved.
He said that the projects including (i) Integrated Watershed Management for Sustainable Improvement of Livelihood in the upper Indus Basin of Rs 51.65 million, (ii) Management of Rainwater in the Dry Areas of Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of Rs 52.14 million, (iii) Headwater management to reduce the water resources depletion in the downstream of the Indus river system, Rehabilitation of Karezes for sustainable groundwater management and livelihood improvements in Balochistan, (iv) Land, water and rangeland management in the Cholistan desert for biodiversity and livelihood improvements and (v) Establishment of Water Resources Research Center at Gwadar Water quality improvement along coastal belt have been started.
He said that his research department also started experimentation on Growing Fruit Plants and fooder in the Cholistan Desert, Rainwater source of Livelihood and major land and water issues in Balochistan. He said that Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has introduced innovative low cost groundwater recharge techniques in Balochistan and succeeded to include centuries old karez irrigation system in the tentative list of World Culture Heritage of UNESCO.
He said that we also introduced solar pumping system, storage, intake and distribution system, water harvesting at farm, micro irrigation and horticulture and fruit culture development for agriculture water energy and hazard management in the Upper Indus Basin of Gilgit-Baltistan. The Pakistan Council of Science and Industrial Research (PCSIR) chairman said that the students of FATA are being trained for cutting marble and granite in Peshawar while training of dehydrate of fruits in Skardu. He said that after matriculation, the students get three year diploma adding that many jobs are offered when a student completes his training. Committee Chairman Usman Kakar said that maximum budget should be allocated for research.