Lahore, January 26, 2023 (PPI-OT):The Centre for Water informatics and Technology (WIT) at LUMS has joined hands with Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) to address the challenges due to climate change specifically in Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. WIT is a research centre at the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE) that focuses on hydro informatics and system analysis. AKAH works with communities and stakeholders to help disasters and the effects of climate change. The MoU wishes to build effective local partnerships in climate-vulnerable regions and leverage technology to assist in mitigation and adaptation with the help of AKAH.
Members of the university’s senior leadership including Vice Chancellor, Dr. Arshad Ahmad, Provost, Dr. Tariq Jadoon, and Director, WIT, Dr. Muhammad Abubakar were present at the ceremony. Representing AKAH were Ms. Nusrat Nasab, CEO, Mr. Ejaz Karim, Head of Emergency Management, Mr. Sher Wali, Program Manager, Risk Anticipation and New Initiatives, and Mr. Jafar Ali, Manager Admin and Procurement. The ceremony began with a presentation on the numerous initiatives driven by WIT on demand-driven irrigation, water management, disaster risk reduction, and forest fire early warning project. Dr. Abubakar shared his thoughts on the partnership, “This collaboration that we are having with AKAH is multi-faceted and this collaboration will evolve into a more comprehensive partnership over and beyond the technological interventions that we are thinking of.”
Dr. Ahmad spoke about how partnerships can have a lasting impact. Speaking about the collaboration with the University of Baltistan, Skardu (UoBS), he shared 150 of LUMS students twinned with 150 of UoBS students for a month-long unique experiential learning semester. “The data that emerged from this experience is mainly speaking to local interventions for issues that were identified by local communities there. That’s the kind of impact we’re looking for. This is not just a MoU for one-stop where we’re signing for a grant, but rather building the kind of capacity that we need to deal with these very important issues.”
Ms. Nusrat Nasab emphasised how this partnership is a stepping-stone for future collaborations, “We must do things rapidly. As the climate changes and the increasing intensity of natural disasters, there is an increase in carbon emissions. This is where we call it a shared responsibility, and where this partnership could really open doors for us.”
For more information, contact:
Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS)
D.H.A. Lahore Cantt. 54792
Lahore, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-35608000
Fax: +92-42-35725048
Website: www.lums.edu.pk