ISLAMABAD: As per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Pakistan is among 36 water-stressed countries since its gross water withdrawals account for 74.4% of the country’s renewable water resources.
Through the optimum use of space technology, Pakistan can create a water management system that can assist in curbing the rapidly growing water crisis, WealthPK reported.
Water management is a complex issue that requires huge amounts of diverse, accurate data. Traditional data collection methods can be quite challenging, especially in remote areas, and can also be costly and resource-intensive.
Earth observation (EO) technologies, such as satellite monitoring, have become increasingly popular for supplementing ground-based monitoring because such technologies can provide a cost-effective method of replacing or complementing field data collection.
Due to its ability to capture systematic, repetitive data over large and remote areas, the EO is doubly attractive, as it provides coverage over large and remote areas.
In this era of technologies, space technology is one of the prominent technologies benefiting the economies of the world. Globally, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) based satellites have revolutionized water mapping and management work, maritime surveillance, ice monitoring, disaster management, environmental monitoring, resource management, etc.
Digital elevation models (DEM) are being developed to assist in predicting flooding potential. Furthermore, remote sensing is also used for mapping land cover and land use, as well as mapping snow extent, water quality monitoring, and many other applications.
The IDFMS (integrated disaster forecasting and management system) has also been developed. The primary objective of this model is to forecast rainfall, determine DEMs and floodwater coverage, and assess damage after a natural disaster.
The United Nations has a vital role in promoting the use of space technology in water resource management. In this regard, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is organizing the 5th international conference on the use of space technology for water resource management.
The major aim of this conference is to promote the use of space technology in water management to the benefit of developing countries. On behalf of the Government of Ghana, the University of Energy and Natural Resources will host the Conference in Accra, Ghana, from 10 to 13 May, 2022.
With the growing trend of benefits from space technology in water resource management, Pakistan has an excellent opportunity to benefit from technology. Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) has been contributing to the country’s economy in multiple ways.
Pakistan is an arid country heavily dependent on annual glacier melts and monsoon rains. Remote sensing provides large-scale multidisciplinary information to monitor the sustainable use and management of water resources. Water resources management thus plays a pivotal role in formulating a national strategy for food security.
Adopting space technology can help Pakistan’s water sector in hydrological modeling, mapping of surface water resources and irrigation networks, watershed modeling and integrated watershed management, groundwater prospection, wetland ecosystem modeling, dam site selection, and soil moisture estimation.
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