ISLAMABAD: Water conservation is indispensable for improving agriculture, food security and economic development, says caretaker Minister for National Food Security and Research, Dr Kausar Abdullah Malik on Monday.

Speaking at the high-level inaugural session of “Pre-COP28: Accelerating the Water-Food-Climate Nexus Transformation Pathways for Pakistan”, Kausar Abdullah said that in the new era of water risk, governments, businesses, water users and people from all sectors must use all resources and effective measures to conserve water.

The food security minister emphasized that water security was deeply intertwined with climate security, water risks are intensifying around the world as climate change tightens its grip and shocks the planet’s hydrological system.Water is essential for human life, forests, agriculture and all living things, but despite this, many parts of the world today are deeply insecure as far as water is concerned, Dr Malik said.

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, Ambassador of the Netherlands, Henny Fokel De Vries, Ambassador of Poland, Maciej Pisarski, Deputy High Commissioner of Australia, Danielle Cashen, Mission Director of USAID, Kate Somvongsiri; and Director-General of International Water Management Institute (IWNI), Mark Smith participated in the pre-COP28 inaugural session.

The caretaker minister said that every member of the society has to take steps to protect water to achieve sustainable development.

He said that they also worked on laser land leveling to utilise minimum quantity of water in irrigation sector.

He said that it was the need of the hour to raise awareness among the public about the importance of water and water safety, water security was the secret of our bright and successful future.

COP28 will take place at Expo City Dubai from Nov 30 to Dec 12 and the conference is expected to convene over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth, and non-state actors.

As mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, COP28 UAE will deliver the first ever Global Stocktaking – a comprehensive evaluation of progress against climate goals.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2023