Empowering Local Communities To Mitigate Flood Risks

APP

Peshawar: Environmental experts suggested equipping the local communities with the requisite resources, technical knowledge, and tools for effective water management so that the flood risk can transform into an economic opportunity.

Speaking at an international workshop titled ‘Hill Torrents: Turning Risk into Opportunities’, they noted that empowering local communities to assume a central role in flood risk mitigation is paramount, given that they are the most directly affected by such events.

IWMI Pakistan Researcher Dr Sarfraz Munir said that our aim is to foster collaboration and engagement with relevant government departments, community members, and stakeholders to address water-related issues and explore solutions in the challenging context of hill torrents.

The Community Listening Session” served as a platform where community members were convened to engage in a meaningful dialogue regarding their experiences and challenges while confronting the heavy rainwater originating from the hills in the form of hill torrents.

This interactive gathering provided an invaluable opportunity for community elders to share their perspectives and insights.

The communities that participated in the discussion were from the Daraban Zam, Tank Zam, and Gomal Zam areas of District Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

USAID/Pakistan Development Specialist Muhammad Nawaz stated that we are committed to listening to and learning from firsthand experiences as we collectively work towards addressing and mitigating the challenges posed by changing rainfall patterns and the increasing threat of floods.

The workshop was organised by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Pakistan with support from USAID.

The workshop underscored the pivotal role of community engagement, cross-sector collaboration, and expert guidance in harnessing the potential for transformative change in these challenging environments.