March 31, 2023 : The LCWU Department of Electrical Engineering hosted a talk on "Unravelling Coupled Human-Natural Systems in the Indus Basin" on March 31 2023. The B.E. coordinator for the electrical engineering department at Lahore College for Women University, Dr. Faiza Iftekhar, organised this seminar. Dr. Muhammad Abubakr, the founder and head of the NCRA National Agricultural Robotics Lab at LUMS, Pakistan, and the Centre for Water Informatics & Technology (WIT), was the guest speaker at the event.
During the talk, Dr. Muhammad Abubakr addressed the challenges of sustainability in the face of climate change, technological transitions, geopolitics, urbanization, and demographic changes. Specifically, he discussed demand management as a key policy challenge for the Indus River basin, where water resources have traditionally been developed using supply-driven, infrastructure-heavy solutions.
Dr. Muhammad Abubakr presented many demand-management alternatives, including water accounting improvements, increased irrigation efficiency, nature-inspired solutions, rationalised water pricing, and cropping pattern adjustments. He also looked at two examples of Indus-related social hydrological models, including agent-based models and the irrigation efficiency conundrum. In addition, he discussed findings from new integrated assessment models that assist policymakers in navigating the complicated policy landscape of the Indus Water-Energy-Food nexus.
The talk was attended by students of 6th and 8th Semesters of Department of Electrical Engineering, LCWU. Different researchers from LUMS working on different projects also joined the talk and briefed their projects, which added value to the discussion.
Dr. Muhammad was praised by the Department of Electrical Engineering at LCWU for his significant contribution to the area and for sharing his experience with the academic community. The department hopes to host more events like this in the future to stimulate conversation and exploration of important topics affecting our globe.
