ISLAMABAD: To improve the assessment process of intra-season water availability in the wake of climate change challenges, the government has started implementing a project across the country with technical and financial support from Australia.
Under the Climate Resilient and Adaptive Water Allocation (CRAWAP) programme, Canberra has provided a three million grant (in Australian dollars) for capacity building of the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) and all the four provincial governments to improve intra-season water availability forecast over a period of five years.
At a recent meeting with an Australian team, presided over by Irsa chairman Amjad Saeed, preparations for implementation of the project were reviewed. The meeting was attended by the authority’s members representing the federal government, as well as the Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments.
The Australian team comprised Dr Neil Lazarow, Dr Mobin-ud-Din Ahmad, and Ms Susan Cuddy.
The Australians commended Pakistan’s efforts in managing the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS), the world’s largest contiguous irrigation network. The members briefed the Pakistani side about ways to enhance the Water Apportionment Accord Tool (WAATool) spatial resolution — from system zones to canal commands and river reaches, both at the federal and provincial levels.
Benefits of new mechanism
At the federal level, the Tool assists Irsa in surface water allocation, contributing to improvement in forecast of inflows. At the provincial level, research is underway to shift from supply-based warabandi to demand-based irrigation, using tools like soil moisture meters implemented in Khikhi distributary sub-system located in Toba Tek Singh district.
The project includes initiatives like distributary-level ponds, kitchen gardening to engage rural women, and exploring the application of artificial intelligence.
It would also strengthen Irsa’s research and development capacity.
Two Australian institutions — CSIRO and ACIAR — helped Pakistan put in place the WAATool between 2018 and 2022. Since Dec 2020, it has been used for seasonal planning, reservoir operations, and inter-provincial water distribution under the 1991 accord.
To sustain its impact, Irsa had requested the Australian side to support broader and deeper training and expanding the Tool’s role in intra-season allocation planning to address climate-driven hydrological uncertainties. Australia agreed to support “Climate Resilient and Adaptive Water Allocation in Pakistan (CRAWAP)” over a period of five years.
The project seeks to improve canal water reliability through improved water allocation decisions and practices by updating the WAATool to include mid-season planning and operations and exploring on-farm water storage options aimed at building climate resilience, adaptive management, and equitable water use for better social and economic outcomes for farming communities.
The WAATool can augment the system’s capacity to explore alternative system operational rules, bring in more transparency, efficiency and equity in water sharing and quantify impacts of different interpretations.
Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2025
