PESHAWAR, Dec 16: The federal government will provide Rs8.4 billion for improving the agriculture sector and management of irrigation water resources in the NWFP.

The funds would be provided to the provincial government under the water management development programme over four years, a handout issued on Thursday said.

It said 42 teams would be formed to monitor the implementation of the project in terms of improvement in irrigation agronomy and better utilization of water resources in districts.

The University of Engineering and Technology had started training of water management officers in collaboration with the provincial government under the project, it said.

Agriculture Engineering Department Chairman Dr Zahid Mehmood said at the opening ceremony of the training that 89 graduates, 41 from the UET and 48 from the Agriculture University, had been selected by the water management directorate for the purpose.

They will be trained for one month at the UET in water management before being posted in different capacities under the project, the handout said. UET Registrar Imtiaz Ahmad Durrani said recruitment of professionals from the university in provincial projects was an encouraging sign.

He said the university wanted to develop links with industry and real projects. Various other projects were in pipeline with the United Nations Children's Fund and the World Bank, where UET graduates would be involved, he said.