Under the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office-funded WRAP programme, IWMI convened environmental journalists from Karachi and Quetta to deepen reporting on water governance and accountability. The engagement began in Islamabad with an Environmental Journalists’ Quarterly Meeting where Country Representative Pakistan Muhammad Ashraf and Gender & Social Inclusion Specialist Kanwal Waqar briefed attendees on WRAP interventions and the importance of credible coverage for water accountability.
The delegation travelled to two WRAP pilot districts, Chakwal in Punjab and Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to see practical solutions at work. In Chakwal journalists observed soil-moisture sensors, flux towers and CTD divers in action, and spoke with women farmers who described how soil moisture sensors have removed guesswork from irrigation decisions, cutting water use, fuel consumption and pumping costs.
In Mansehra the focus was on precision irrigation and community-scale technology. Reporters witnessed soil moisture-based irrigation systems enhancing orchard productivity and a hydraulic ram pump supplying water to uphill fields, a change that is saving time for women and girls, easing livestock stress and enabling small-scale vegetable cultivation. These on-the-ground examples gave journalists concrete evidence to report on gains in efficiency and resilience.
By combining field demonstrations with inclusive storytelling, IWMI aims to ensure that independent media coverage brings WRAP results to policymakers, local stakeholders and the wider public. Strengthening journalistic capacity on technical tools and community impacts supports sustained attention to water accountability across provinces.
