ISLAMABAD: The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination on Thursday marked the closing ceremony of a transformative project that provided useful feedback on the quality of water its monitoring, etc which is an important UN SDG6.
The project titled ‘Enhancing Water Quality Monitoring System to achieve SDG 6 in Pakistan” was conducted successfully in Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab and the Korean for around six years and experts also did capacity building of the local stakeholders with regard to data collection, water sampling, analysis and other lab, on ground and underground factor to evaluate water quality, etc.
A report ‘Recommendations for Improving Pakistan’s Legal and Administrative Systems Related to SDG 6’ was also launched on the occasion.
Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam was the chief guest at the closing ceremony while Country Director of KOICA, Mr. Je Ho Yeon, Vice President KOMIR Mr. Soon Jin Kwon and UNOPS’s Country Manager Ms Jen¬nifer Ankrom Khan also attended the event and addressed the audience.
Ms. Romina Khurshid while appreciating the Korean and the Pakistani stakeholders’ efforts to carry out an important UN SDG (6) emphasized the crucial role of water for everyone and the importance of SDG 6 in enhancing water quality and sanitation in Pakistan. She noted that while the event was labeled as a closing day, it marked the beginning of further progress towards improving water in Pakistan. Reflecting on the project’s impact and discussing future steps.
She expressed gratitude to key stakeholders, including KOICA, K-Water Korea, and various federal and provincial representatives and highlighted the importance of their collaboration in achieving the project’s success in developing effective solutions for water quality monitoring and management. She also highlighted that Ministry of Climate Change looks forward for such international collaborations in future as well. The event also stressed the need for ongoing data collection and analysis to track water quality trends and address emerging challenges.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was also held to launch the report titled ‘Recommendations for Improving Pakistan’s Legal and Administrative Systems Related to SDG 6.’
Ms. Saima Nazir, Deputy Director (Policy and Research) at the Ministry of Climate Change, who played a crucial role in the project’s success, addressed key issues of water scarcity in Pakistan. She also discussed how the project could enhance water quality in Islamabad and the provinces. Ms. Jennifer highlighted the development of the management information system under the project. Additionally, Mr. Farooq, Senior Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Climate Change, reflected on his two years of involvement with the project. He praised KOICA’s significant contribution and noted that the project’s success paves the way for future initiatives aimed at improving the country’s water management.
