LAHORE: Speakers at a conference on Monday discussed challenges related to water resources management in Pakistan due to urbanisation, climate change and population growth, and how technology-driven interventions could help increase agricultural water productivity in the Indus Basin.
Centre for Water and Informatics and Technology (WIT) of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) organised a session to showcase its latest advancements in water and agriculture technology.
It included a discussion on the current water resource challenges faced by the country, particularly in the aftermath of recent floods.
Faculty members Dr Muhammad Abubakr and Dr Jawairia Ahmad briefed the media and took them to Lums monitoring facility having advanced drones, state-of-the-art cameras being used to monitor crops and identify growth patterns and challenges in Pakistan’s irrigation and agriculture sectors.
“These tools are helping farmers to better manage their crops, optimise yields, and water usage, ultimately benefiting the environment and the country’s economy.
The WIT has also manufactured inexpensive field sensors used to determine the level of moisture in the soil. These sensors are also integrated with drones which use smart camera technology to collect the data from the fields which is not visible to the naked eye.
The technology will help boost agricultural productivity and conservation of water and soil fertility.
In the next stage, WIT is planning to connect these sensors with satellite to make them more efficient in collecting data.
Dr Abubakr highlighted how the centre is working towards developing solutions that can address the water scarcity issue, including development of sustainable water management systems and promoting the efficient use of water resources.
Dr Jawairia Ahmad talked about the climate change and urged the stakeholders to take measures to preserve glaciers from melting otherwise Pakistan may become a desert in the coming years.
She also emphasised the importance of collaboration between academia, industry and government agencies to tackle the water scarcity challenge.
Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2023
