The Indus River Basin is the prime source of Pakistan’s water resources. Its rivers have glaciated headwaters and snowfields that, along with monsoon runoff and groundwater aquifers, are the major sources of water for Pakistan. Presently, 50 to 80% of the total average river flows in the Indus River system are fed by snow and glacier melt in the Hindu-Kush Karakoram part of the Greater Himalayas, with the remainder coming from monsoon rain in the plains. In addition to supplying water for irrigation and other uses, glaciers and glacial lakes pose a potential hazard of severe floods thus; requires detailed mapping and continuous monitoring to deliver reliable information for water allocation and forecasting of extreme events.

With KfW funding for this project, WAPDA focuses on the expansion of the glacier monitoring system in the Upper Indus Basin (UIB) in Pakistan. AHT was contracted along with its consortium members to support the following project activities:

• Identification of sites for 30 meteorological Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and 13 hydrological monitoring stations Automatic River Level (ARL) for extension of the existing network;
• Preparation of tender documents, procurement procedures, bid evaluation and contract negotiation and award;
• Supervision of construction works and support to installation for master and monitoring stations;
• Management of disposition fund;
• Integration of the new stations into the existing Meteor Burst Communication System (MBCS) including capacity development and training of Glacier Monitoring and Research Centre (GRMC) staff in hardware and software application; and
• Review of the design for GRMC buildings regarding energy efficiency considerations.