Experts Suggest Groundwater Recharge Wells to Refill Aquifers & Reduce Risk of Urban Flooding
ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, experts stated that using the most cutting-edge local technology, a groundwater recharge well could revitalise an aquifer and reduce the risk of urban flooding.
A media fellowship on “Harvesting Rainwater for Urban Flood Management” was organised by the Institute of Urbanism, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Pakistan Council for Research on Water Resources (PCRWR), and Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (HBS).
Speaking to the media, Chairman PCRWR Dr. Muhammad Ashraf said that the country’s water crisis was a major issue that was escalating in all of its urban cities.
He further said that the whole nation is in need of groundwater recharging, mostly for the reason of recent floods hitting Pakistan. The country is experiencing environmental deterioration due to extreme weather causing floods and dry spells during changing seasons.
Expressing his views, he stated that at every level, we must enhance water storage. According to need, we must build huge, medium, and small dams. Artificial recharge wells or lakes in housing societies would be good rainwater management techniques.
He claimed that flash floods were unavoidable in the federal capital and other megacities, even in the case of nullahs before invasion. Adding to this, the catchment area needs to be improved.
Dr. Mohsin Hafeez, Country Director and Regional Representative for Central Asia IWMI, stated in his opening remarks that the IPCC Report noted an increase in heatwaves and heavy precipitation in the South Asia Region owing to human-induced activities, both of which occurred this year.
The worst flood, he continued, was caused by a combination of riverine and hill torrential flooding. Mega disasters, according to him, were being brought on by poorly designed housing societies, development on riverbeds, and interference with water movements.
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