HYDERABAD: The Sindh Water and Agriculture Transformation (SWAT) project will play a dominant role in improving the agriculture sector and water availability through canal modernisation.

This was stated by Project Task Team Leader Greg Browder of the World Bank-funded SWAT at the project’s inaugural ceremony at the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (Sida) offices here on Tuesday.

He said SWAT would assist in the ongoing reforms programme in the irrigation department besides introducing canal modernisation.

The canal modernisation would improve availability of water in the tail-end areas, he said, adding that farmers would be educated in having maximum per acre yields of their crops.

Speaking on the occasion, Sida’s Managing Director Pritam Das said that input of various Sindh government’s departments’ was part of the project besides the World Bank (WB) and its representatives, including UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). He said that those officials had even worked during the pandemic in preparation of the project.

He said that Sida’s environmental wing had also played an important role in it by preparing Akram Wah’s social and environmental plan, adding that the plan had been approved by the Sindh government. No stone would be left unturned in ensuring the success of that project, he vowed.

World Bank’s task team co-leader and senior irrigation engineer Francois Onimus said SWAT’s basic aim was to ensure increased productivity in water availability in the command areas of farmers organisations, improve system besides ensuring efficiency in water resource management and assist small and medium size farmers to get better yields as they were affected in 2022

He said SWAT would also achieve objective of improving water quality for different purposes, including efficient water distribution and devising strategy for requirement and use of water. He remarked that the Sindh agriculture department and Sida could achieve those goals with better coordination.

Agriculture Extension Director General Hidaytullah Chhajro said SWAT was a multidimensional project which would be executed to provide facilities to farmers and improve the farm sector. It would ensure growth in the agriculture sector, he added.

General Manager (transition) Ghulam Mustafa Ujjan said the project would not only ensure better water management, but also ensure capacity of organisations, which was direly needed. He said the flood affected farmers would be supported through that project as well.

According to Sida, SWAT would be implemented in Sindh at a cost of $310m. Water-sector related interventions would be supervised by Sida and the agriculture department would look into the farm sector-related initiatives.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2023