ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) director, Dr Asad Qureshi, has called for institutional reforms in the management of water resources of the country in view of the new challenges ahead.

Speaking at a workshop on surface irrigation organized by the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council here on Wednesday, he said all the provinces should speed up the formulation of rules and regulations and their enactment by the relevant legislative bodies.

Dr Qureshi suggested two important reforms to be implemented under an integrated approach like the strengthening of the legal policy and administrative arrangements.

The solution to the problems concerning the use of water resources did not lie in the creation of new institutions but in their effectiveness as enforcement organs, he pointed out.

The participants of the workshop were from various organizations including Ministry of Water and Power, Nespak, PARC, NARC, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, IWMI, provincial irrigation departments etc.

Speaking on the occasion, Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) resident representative Nobuyuki Yamaura said his country would assist Pakistan in improving irrigation through maintenance and management of existing facilities.

He was of the view that integrated water management approach embracing surface as well as sub-surface water resources would ensure their efficient use. Increasing demand and deteriorating quantity of water available for human needs and its quality could put enormous pressure on agricultural sector, he added.

He also cautioned that Pakistan was one of the countries that could face severe food and water shortages in the 21st Century.

The NARC’s Water Resources Research Institute senior director Dr Zahid Hussain said water was a limited resource and its efficient use was the basic requirement for the survival and well being of the burgeoning population of Pakistan.