CCI reaches consensus on adopting National Water Policy

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday chaired the 36th meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) which reached a consensus on the need to adopt the National Water Policy.

Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pervez Khattak, and Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Quddus Bizenjo attended the meeting.

Punjab was represented by Finance Minister Dr. Ayesha Ghaus Pasha as Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is currently out of the country. The chief secretaries of all provinces and federal secretaries and senior officials were also present.

Sartaj Aziz, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, briefed the meeting in detail about the draft National Water Policy (NWP).

It was emphasised that Pakistan is rapidly becoming a water scarce country and obligations towards UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals require adoption of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). Population growth and water demands for various sectors of the economy necessitate urgent measures to enhance storage capacity.

The council was briefed that the draft NWP includes strategic initiatives and is in line with National Climate Change Policy 2012, and includes establishment of administrative bodies at the federal and provincial levels, including National Water Council, provincial water authorities to improve coordination regarding water resource management.

The participants reached a consensus on the need to adopt the National Water Policy, and decided that the proposed policy would be brought in the next CCI meeting after incorporating suggestions from provinces for final approval.

Statistics division secretary presented an update on CCI’s earlier decision of carrying out a validation exercise of Census results. The meeting reiterated that five percent validation exercise shall be undertaken through a third party as decided in the last meeting held on November 24, 2017.

Finance secretary gave a detailed briefing on various subsidies being given by the federal government on different commodities including subsidy being provided to Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation (PASSCO) for maintaining strategic wheat reserves, subsidy on essential items through Utility Stores Corporation, Ramzan Relief Package and support for export of wheat and sugar.

Pakistan Alliance for Mathematics and Science also gave a presentation on way forward for promoting science and mathematics education in the country