On 19th June, a meeting was held at the World Bank Office in Tokyo with members of the Irrigation Department (ID) of the Government of Sindh (GoSindh), the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI) Japan and the World Bank Water Global Practice and the Tokyo DRM Hub. The objective of the meetings was to discuss and agree on a plan of action for collaboration between GoSindh Irrigation Department and PWRI to increase their knowledge in sediment monitoring, sediment transportation modeling and their readiness to develop and implement the sediment monitoring and management plans in the lower Indus Basin. This collaboration will directly contribute to the implementation of the Sindh Barrage Improvement Program implemented through financial support from the World Bank.
GoSindh representatives shared the context of climate and disaster risk challenges faced in the lower Indus River Basin particularly within their efforts to rehabilitate and modernize the structure of the Guddu and Sukkur Barrages. Based on a shared understanding of the existing challenges and opportunities, GoSindh, PWRI and the World Bank team were able to agree on a set of activities to be jointly implemented over the next several months. These include:
- Development of a Sediment Monitoring Plan in the Sindh Part of the Indus and an Initial Conceptual Model for Sediment Transport and River Morphology
- Implementation of a Capacity Building workshop in Japan to train and develop a baseline survey methodology and a monitoring plan as well as better understand sediment transportation models
All parties expressed their strong interest and commitment to further this partnership in the coming months.