LAHORE, Oct 18: The International Congress on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) in its concluding session on Saturday constituted a task force to study sedimentation of Tarbela Dam and make recommendations for solving the problem.

In its exclusive session on Tarbela reservoir sedimentation, the ICID reviewed the available solutions to the problem and recommended involving experts from other countries in this regard.

It was further recommended to liaise with other international organisations, including International Commission on Large Dams and International Hydropower Association for this purpose.

The week-long congress concluded here, with a theme of “Participatory integrated water resources management: from concept to action.” About 150 international delegates from across the world and 600 local experts participated in the event.

Addressing the concluding session, Wapda chairman Shakil Durrani said the deliberations made by the leading engineers, scientists and experts on a theme of supreme importance for mankind would further the cause of participative management of water and drainage issues.

He expressed the hope that the recommendations framed during the congress would be useful for policy makers and also for other partners in this field. Highlighting the efforts of the government for development of water resources, especially for maximising agricultural production, the chairman said construction work on world’s highest RCC Diamer-Basha Dam would commence next year.

ICID president Peter S. Lee and secretary-general Gopala Krishna thanked the management, especially Wapda for arranging the congress.

Pakistan National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage chairman Dr IB Sheikh, and Wapda member (water) and organising committee secretary-general Syed Raghib Abbas Shah also addressed the session.