Artificial groundwater recharge well inaugurated at Kachnar Park to conserve rainwater.

ISLAMABAD -- The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Pakistan, Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) and WaterAid Pakistan on Friday inaugurated the artificial groundwater recharge site in Kachnar Park aimed at conserving the rainwater wasted in the federal capital facing water shortage.

The artificial groundwater recharge site in Kachnar Park has been implemented by IWMI and PCRWR through the project 'Demonstration of nature-based solutions for improving the resilience of groundwater aquifers in Islamabad'.

The project, funded by WaterAid, has identified seven potential groundwater recharge sites in Islamabad.

Country Representative - Pakistan and Regional Representative - Central Asia, IWMI, Dr. Mohsin Hafeez gave the welcome remarks and urged the media representatives to highlight 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.

IWMI Pakistan has 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. This project will provide evidence-based information on rainfall contribution towards groundwater replenishment in Islamabad. To overcome water scarcity challenges in Islamabad, IWMI Pakistan has recommended CDA to install rainwater harvesting tank at the household level.

Chairman, PCRWR, Dr. Muhammad Ashraf highlighted the role of PCRWR in the project. Moreover, he added that the solution of water supply challenge is linked with rainwater harvesting for groundwater recharge, which needs to be upscaled to address groundwater depletion issues. He highlighted that the annual average rainfall in Islamabad is about...