Data-driven solutions for water security: Pakistan’s first eddy covariance flux towers installed in Rahim Yar Khan

Original article published in The Nation on 18 November 2024

To help address the water crisis in Pakistan, the International Water Management institute (IWMI) has installed the country’s first eddy covariance (EC) flux tower in Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering & Information Technology in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district. The flux tower, which will inform research by the CGIAR Initiative on NEXUS Gains, is designed to collect accurate data on water usage, carbon emissions, and energy fluxes from irrigated agricultural landscapes.

Speaking at the inauguration of the flux tower, Dr Mohsin Hafeez, NEXUS Gains lead for the Indus Basin, emphasised the project’s broader implications, stating, “The EC flux towers are more than just instruments; they are enablers of informed decision-making for sustainable agriculture and water security in Pakistan. The data generated will be instrumental in shaping policies to address water scarcity and climate adaptation.”

IWMI Pakistan has installed an additional three flux towers in irrigated landscape areas of Punjab.

Further media coverage

https://pakistannews.com.pk/2024/11/15/kfueit-launches-eddy-covariance-flux-tower-to-enhance-climate-monitoring-and-agriculture/

https://www.nation.com.pk/18-Nov-2024/data-driven-solutions-for-water-security-pakistan-s-first-ec-flux-towers-installed-in-rahim-yar-khan

https://pakobserver.net/water-security-pakistans-first-ec-flux-towers-installed-rahim-yar-khan/

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/18-Nov-2024/water-security-pakistans-first-ec-flux-towers-installed-rahim-yar-khan

https://sstoday.com.pk/national/water-security-pakistans-first-ec-flux-towers-installed-rahim-yar-khan/

https://mmnews.tv/rahim-yar-khan-gets-pakistans-first-ec-flux-towers-what-are-they/#google_vignette

https://pakistannews.com.pk/2024/11/15/kfueit-launches-eddy-covariance-flux-tower-to-enhance-climate-monitoring-and-agriculture/#google_vignette

https://academiamag.com/kfueit-launches-eddy-covariance-flux-tower-monitoring

Header image: Eddy covariance flux towers. Photo by IWMI Pakistan.