ISLAMABAD-The caretaker federal government has launched National Master Plan for Flood Telemetry for installation of 707 Flood Telemetric Stations across Pakistan.
Federal Minister for Water Resources Ahmed Irfan Aslam has formally launched the National Master Plan for Flood Telemetry. A stakeholders’ event regarding launch of National Master Plan for Flood Telemetry was held here Tuesday. The event was jointly organized by the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) and WAPDA with support from Ministry of Water Resources and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The event was attended by Caretaker Federal Minister for Water Resources, Ahmed Irfan Aslam, Federal Secretary, Syed Ali Murtaza, Chairman, FFC, Ahmad Kamal, Country Director, ADB, Yong Ye, along with other senior officers from WAPDA and Ministry of Water Resources.
The National Master Plan includes installation of 707 Flood Telemetric Stations, of which 457 Telemetric Stations have been planned under Phase-I for execution in the four provinces, Gilgit Baltistan and AJK. As per the plan, 151 Flood Telemetric Stations will be installed in Punjab, 46 in Sindh, 136 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 207 in Balochistan, 84 in Gilgit Baltistan and 83 in Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
While addressing the event, the caretaker federal minister said that inductance of innovative telemetric equipment would ensure real-time hydro-meteorological measurements/flood discharges, required for precise flood forecasting & issuance of flood warning. Besides, this regular supply of real-time flow data also supports IRSA towards its mandatory functions.
The caretaker federal minister stated that by putting the Flood Telemetric Plan into action, PMD, FFC, WAPDA and other stakeholders will have access to an accurate, real-time estimate of the flood flows so that flood predictions are made more precisely and accurate flood warnings can be issued.
The minister thanked ADB for their technical and financial support towards formulation of the National Master Plan on Flood Telemetry as well as updated NFPP-IV in consultation with all concerned Ministries/Departments both at federal and provincial, in particular FFC, Ministry of Water Resources. Thereafter, finalized copies of the Flood Telemetry Plan document were exchanged between the Federal Minister and Country Director ADB, Yong Ye.
PAAPAM inks MoU with Canada-Pak Business Council
IMRAN ALI KUNDI
ISLAMABAD
The Pakistan Association of Auto Parts & Accessories Manufacturers (PAAPAM) and the Canada-Pakistan Business Council (CPBC) have signed an MoU to enhance and develop business and investment relations between Pakistan and Canada.
Pakistan’s auto part industry is seeking globalization and partnerships across the world, including Canada and North America. President of CPBC, Samir Dossal, and Chairman of PAAPAM, Munir Bana, signed the document. Athar Khan, Trade Commissioner at Canadian Trade Service, and Ghulam Ali Shah Pasha, a board member of Pakistan Trade Development Authority (TDAP), also witnessed this occasion along with the PAAPAM managing committee and stalwarts. Referring to the need for strong bilateral cooperation between the Canadian and Pakistani SME sectors, especially in engineering goods and services, Dossal underscored the opportunities that could be leveraged for trade flow in both directions, including joint ventures and acquisitions.
Bana appreciated the proactive approach of CPBC and expressed the MoU would open many new avenues of bilateral trade and collaboration between the two countries. He furthered that PAAPAM members had demonstrated to provide international quality standards with the automotive sector, and they could easily leverage those competencies to ramp up the global marketplace. Senior executives of PAAPAM also shared their views on moving forward and recognized this as an appropriate time to embark on such initiatives. A working committee was established to articulate a modus operandi, including joint ventures, strategic alliances, and technology transfers. A positive energy was seen on both sides to develop ways companies could reduce the risk of entering bilateral business relationships between Pakistan and Brampton/Canadian markets. Both sides agreed to advocate their governments on policies hindering business linkages between Pakistan and Canadian companies.
The PAAPAM chairman observed that the automobile industry has always been the backbone of any economy and that is why it is often called the mother of all industries. The automobile industry is unique as it encompasses practically all available engineering technologies. Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts & Accessories Manufacturers was formed in 1988 to represent the industry and to provide technical & management support to its members. It is now over two decades old and, over the years, this association has attained a certain level of maturity by becoming an indispensable and extremely effective link between the policy-making echelons in the government and the auto parts manufacturing industry.