Indus Basin Water Security

Donor Agencies: WWF- UK
Start Date: October 2007
Planned End Date: June 2010

Summary

Rivers and aquifer systems need water to maintain themselves and their functions and benefit to the society. Minimum flow requirements are needed to maintain delta ecosystem functioning and the associated livelihoods. The amount of water needed for this purpose is known as environmental flow, which provides critical contribution to river health, economic development and poverty alleviation.
Pakistan is making serious endeavors in a variety of directions (policy, institutional, operational) for transforming the water sector. The confluence of a number of factors creates a window of opportunity that WWF Pakistan is going to exploit to achieve significant progress in securing minimum environmental flows on the Indus River, in both the short and long term
The main Goal of the project is “Environmental flows are protected in the Indus River resulting in near pristine ecosystem with flourishing flora and fauna species contributing towards economic and social development.”

Objective

These are intended to secure the project goal. Through stages they lead towards securing the recognition, implementation and protection of environmental flows for the Indus River.

• National water policy approved with environmental flows recognized. Authority defined for ensuring the implementation of recognized environmental flows. Time period: 3 years.
• Acceptable environmental flows are implemented in the Indus river through improved water resources management. Time period: 10 years.
• Environmental flows protected in the Indus river basin. Time period: 25 years. Rivers and aquifer systems need water to maintain themselves and their functions and benefit to the society. Minimum flow requirements are needed to maintain delta ecosystem functioning and the associated livelihoods. The amount of water needed for this purpose is known as environmental flow, which provides critical contribution to river health, economic development and poverty alleviation.