Representatives from the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and UNICEF held a strategic meeting to discuss opportunities for strengthening climate-resilient Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services across the province under the SAFER (Sustainable Actions for Ecosystems Restoration in Pakistan) Project.
The discussions focused on enhancing resilience in flood-prone districts, including Charsadda, Nowshera, and Swat, through improved water resource management, climate adaptation, and sustainable WASH interventions. Participants emphasized the importance of evidence-based planning, risk assessments, and prioritizing the most vulnerable communities.
A key area of discussion was improving access to safe drinking water through stronger community awareness and behaviour change initiatives. The meeting also explored strengthening water quality monitoring through the use of testing kits and the gradual establishment of divisional water quality laboratories. Additionally, the proposed development of a wetland site was highlighted as a nature-based solution to support ecosystem restoration, groundwater recharge, and climate resilience.
Participants also discussed the development of a provincial WASH Master Plan and a corresponding WASH Financing Plan to guide future investments and strengthen sector planning. The need for enhanced technical capacity, practical planning tools, and improved coordination through a shared Management Information System (MIS) was also emphasized.
Other proposed initiatives included the development of model villages demonstrating integrated climate-resilient WASH services, capacity-building programmes for PHED engineers, and the organization of a technical roundtable to support the formulation of the WASH Master Plan.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advancing practical, sustainable, and community-centred WASH solutions, reinforcing continued collaboration between the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and UNICEF to improve public health and build climate resilience across the province.