The water stewardship approach aims to promote the principles of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) through collective action by communities. Stewardship goes beyond being an efficient water user and requires collaboration of the private sector with governments, other businesses, NGOs, communities, and others to protect shared freshwater resources. Water stewardship follows a five step approach;

1. Awareness on water issues;

2. Knowledge of impact;

3. Internal action;

4. Collective action;

5. Influence governance.

WWF is helping redefine the role of the private sector in advocating, supporting and promoting better basin governance for the benefit of people and nature. WWF-Pakistan has advocated the approach in Pakistan since 2008; some of the key initiatives taken in the domain are below.

Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Standards

The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) standard provides a guidance framework to implement water stewardship on ground. Accoring to the AWS Strategy 2019-2021, ‘Water stewardship understands the importance of engaging users in the management of water resource. It recognizes the need to have a sound understanding of the condition of the resource and how it impacts on different users and their priorities.’

WWF-Pakistan has facilitated the agency to implement the AWS standard in Pakistan among MNCs, such as Nestlé Pakistan, as well as SMEs.

Under the ILES project, WWF-Pakistan aims to implement the AWS standard in 15 leather and textile sector SMEs in the country.

Citywide Partnership

The Citywide Partnership, an initiative developed in 2014, is a network of public sector departments, private companies, technical experts and civil society actors committed to mitigating shared water risks. This partnership aims to promote constructive, open dialogues on priority water risks and mobilize resources, fostering new partnerships for improved water governance, adopting locally driven solutions to make measurable improvements in the overall water management of the region and linking these initiatives with governance or policymaking.

The Groundwater Working Group (GWG) is a subsidiary of the Citywide Partnership, proposed by the Irrigation Department with the aim to drive collaborative efforts on the conservation, protection and recharge of groundwater. The aim of GWG is to identify priority groundwater risks/threats, to develop and maintain a collective data base for gathering available data, studies, and research on Lahore’s groundwater and to draft a comprehensive groundwater recharge strategy.

Water Stewardship with Levi’s Vendors

WWF-Pakistan partnered with WWF-US and Levi Strauss and Co. (LS & Co) to promote water stewardship in the Indus Basin. The project activities included rapid needs assessment of water risks of five LS & Co vendors in Lahore. Recommendations were provided for within the fence-line water issues. Furthermore, business cases for Best Water Management Practices (BWMPs) were established to improve resource efficiency within enterprises.

Community Water Stewardship: Replenishing Groundwater Resources in Lahore and Multan

WWF-Pakistan in collaboration with PepsiCo. aims to explore Lahore and Multan districts as two regions for implementing community water stewardship and watershed management practices. It is estimated that for Lahore and Multan projected total water replenishment target of 331,925 cubic meter per year will be achieved through the implementation of water replenishment techniques that harvest rainwater at household level (through rainwater harvesting systems) to off-set percentage use of freshwater, artificially recharge the aquifer (through groundwater recharge wells), reuse the ablution water (through ablution water reuse systems) for horticulture purposes, treat wastewater (through floating treatment wetlands as an efficient nature-based solution) and conserve water through on/off-farm water management practices.

Community Water Replenishment in Haripur Region

WWF-Pakistan effectively advocates for community water stewardship. In order to demonstrate the concepts of water stewardship, WWF-Pakistan has extended its partnership with PepsiCo. to replenish water resources through multiple interventions like rainwater harvesting systems, groundwater recharge wells, ablution water reuse systems and floating treatment wetlands in and around the communities of Haripur and Hattar Industrial Estate with the aim to replenish 16,000 cubic meter of water per year.

Integrated Water Resources Management in Indus Basin

WWF-Pakistan in partnership with NIKE is implementing the concepts of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in some of the strategic landscapes of Indus basin, including Ayubia National Park, Uchhali Complex and South Punjab, that will deliver a wide range of benefits to the community and environment by executing locally appropriate approaches to replenish water resources.

Promoting Water Stewardship in Cotton Value Chains

The Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) provides a global framework to promote sustainable water use. For cotton farms, AWS is particularly important as cotton is a water-intensive crop, often grown in regions facing water scarcity. 

WWF-Pakistan in collaboration with Artistic Milliners has commenced work on improving water stewardship practices at cotton farms in Rahim Yar Khan, Pakistan. By implementing the globally recognised AWS standard, the initiative aims to address critical water challenges facing local farmers and work on opportunities through collective actions.

The project will focus on enhancing water efficiency, promoting sustainable water management practices and raising community awareness about water conservation techniques. Through these efforts, we aim to contribute to the long-term water security and sustainability in the region.