The Australian Government will continue its assistance to Pakistan

The Australian Government will continue its assistance to Pakistan over the next four years to strengthen water, food and energy security. Australia will invest AUD11 million in Phase II of the Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP) which is focused on improving energy and water management in the Indus Basin. Phase II will build on Phase I – a AUD4 million investment which helped strengthen the capacity of Pakistan officials to take an integrated approach to water resource management.

Australian High Commissioner Margaret Adamson and three Australian technical specialists from the Canberra-based Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) joined the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to launch SDIP Phase II late last week.

Australian experts have been assisting Pakistan since the 1980s in water management including water harvesting and crop water productivity in Balochistan; irrigation efficiency for mango and citrus orchards in Punjab and Sindh; and construction of community management of drinking water and drainage facilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. SDIP Phase II will promote best practice in water management and develop and strengthen the capacity and innovation in Indus basin communities which will help them adapt, innovate and cope with the risks related to climatic and non-climatic factors.