KARACHI: President Dr. Arif Alvi called for reinforcement of inter-provincial coordination to mitigate the crisis of water and food insecurity in the country.
Addressing the 4th Karachi International Water Conference, organized by Hisaar Foundation, the President advocated for provincial consensus on implementation of water policy to meet growing demands of food, water and energy in the country.
The theme of 4th KIWC was “Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Pakistan’s Agenda for the 21st Century”. Being the staunch advocate of water security in the country, President Dr. Arif Alvi appreciated the selection of theme for 4th Karachi international water conference.
Expressing his concerns over implications of global warming, President Dr. Arif Alvi said a network of partnerships on water and food security was need of the hour involving private sector, government, civil society, media and people of Pakistan. “We live in a time, where our children are rightfully holding us accountable for our mistakes in failing to take care of the environment. They expect us to protect natural resources and leave them a legacy to build a water and food sufficient society”, he added.
The President congratulated Hisaar Foundation for arranging the biennial conference and thanked all international delegates and experts for their informative discourse on food and water security. He advised the organizers to invite the agriculture and water ministers of four provinces including federal ministers in the next conference to give government ownership to this agenda.
“These ministries can take a leading role in devising solid strategies to avoid the risks of drought and flood like disasters in the country”, he added. Karachi International Water Conference (KIWC) takes place in Karachi after every two years. Over the past six years, KIWC had attained a position of prominence as a major water event in the region.
From its beginning in 2013, the 3rd Karachi International Water Conference was attended by over 1200 delegates from Pakistan, South Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. From local organizations to multi-nationals, prominent personalities in the water sector attended the previous conferences. The national and international speakers believed that the profile of 4th conference would further rise with greater involvement of governments and practitioners from energy, renewable energy, agriculture, food and nutrition sectors.
