Artificial groundwater recharge site opened in Kachnar Park.

ISLAMABAD -- To help bridge the gap between demand and supply of water in the federal capital, an artificial groundwater recharge site was opened in Kachnar Park on Friday.

The pilot project is an initiative of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and WaterAid Pakistan.

The artificial groundwater recharge site has been launched through the project, 'Demonstration of nature-based solutions for improving the resilience of groundwater aquifers in Islamabad.'

Funded by WaterAid, the project has identified seven potential groundwater recharge sites in Islamabad.

Speaking at a media briefing, Dr Mohsin Hafeez, country representative and regional representative Central Asia, IWMI, highlighted water challenges in Islamabad which have increased due to wastage of rainwater and horizontal expansion of the capital city, over-abstraction of groundwater resources, poor water supply, sanitation and hygiene issues and unsustainable use.

Under pilot project, seven potential groundwater recharge sites identified in Islamabad, says official

'Islamabad receives 1,400mm rain on average annually. By conserving only 30 per cent rainwater through artificial groundwater recharge sites we can bridge the demand for 46 million gallons water per day against the 45 million gallon per day supply,' the official explained.

He said IWMI had developed the first state-of-the-art artificial groundwater recharge pilot site equipped with complete instrumentation to measure groundwater quality, groundwater level, rainfall and the amount of rainfall injected into the aquifer.

The project will provide evidence-based information on rainfall contribution towards groundwater replenishment in Islamabad, Dr Hafeez explained.

'To overcome water scarcity challenges in Islamabad, IWMI has recommended to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to install rainwater harvesting tanks at the household level,' he said.

Kachnar Park was selected for its excellent rainwater availability and...