LAHORE-On October 23-24, the Department of Environmental Sciences, Forman Christian College (A Chartered University), hosted a second workshop at FCCU for its project entitled “Scientific and Sustainable Application of Groundwater Treatment Technology for Safe Drinking Water Supply in Punjab, Pakistan”.
The project is funded by the Government of Korea under Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the Government of Pakistan through the Economic Affairs Division and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Pakistan. This project received funding of 1.2 million USD for a period of three years from Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO). For this project, FCCU is the main implementing institute in Pakistan in collaboration with Dankook University (DKU), South Korea.
A Korean delegation of eight people came to participate in this workshop. Korean Ambassador Ki Jun Park graced the event with his presence. Around 220 participants including researchers, students, government officials, and individuals from public and private organizations attended the event.
An important component of this workshop was the ribbon cutting ceremony by Ki Jun Park and the curtain unveiling of the “Water Analysis Centre” by Dr. Jonathan Addleton, Rector FCCU. This facility is being established under this ODA project. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between FCCU and the Punjab Aab-e-Pak Authority (PAPA) to strengthen their collaboration for the successful implementation of the project in the field. Furthermore, this two-day workshop featured presentations and the exchange of knowledge by experts and researchers from both Korea and Pakistan.
This flagship water treatment technology project is awarded to a private university with a focus on research and community service. Marginalized communities of the Punjab will be benefited from this project by provisioning safe drinking water, and it will be instrumental in achieving Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goal 6--on clean water and sanitation.