Importance of watershed management highlighted

CHITRAL, April 17: A three-day training workshop on Watershed Management and slope stabilization were organized by the Pakistan GLOF Project in Chitral. Representatives from line department, NGOs and local people from Bindu Gol and Golen Valley participated in the training workshop. Renowned watershed management specialist Dr. Basir Hussain Shah was the resource person of the workshop. “The training aimed to provide capacity building opportunities to the local people and other professional of Chitral in watershed management and bioengineering techniques, to enhance their skills and to promote bio-engineering measures in Chitral” said Mr. Hamid Ahmad Mir, Field Manager Pakistan GLOF Project Chitral in his opening remarks. He said this training is designed to help watershed residents improve and protect their watershed by becoming involved in local watershed protection and management activities in Chitral. The resource person took sessions on various aspects of watershed management with special reference to watershed management potentials in Chitral. The participants of the training workshop stressed the needs of the control of debris slides in Chitral which are resulting blockage of roads and destroyed many infrastructures in Chitral every year. The resource shared special techniques on the control of debris slides through different bio engineering techniques, and he also imparted the techniques how to use the native drought resistant trees, bushes and shrubs in Chitral. The theoretical session took two days and on the last day of the event, a field visit was arranged for the participants to Bindu Gol – one of the project sites of Pakistan GLOF project where bioengineering techniques were already installed for control of landslides and watershed management. In Bindu Gol valley, the Chairman of Disaster Management Committee Mr. Ibrahim, welcomed the participants and updated them about the work done in the area by the project with special focusing on watershed management and land stabilization. Later on the Resource Person demonstrated different bio engineering techniques installed in the area for control of landslides and watershed management. The sites were visited and the techniques used were explained to them. The participants took special interest on the training, “Participating in this training workshop is a great opportunity to get new skills in watershed management,” said Mr. Alamgir Khan an official from Forest department Chitral. Some 30 participants participated in this training workshop. The participants highly appreciated Pakistan GLOF Project for arranging the training workshop on watershed management. The Field Manager Pakistan GLOF project thanked all the participants for their active participation in the three days training workshop.]]>