ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and chief ministers of the four provinces inked the first ever Water Policy and Pakistan Water Charter on Tuesday.

A special signing ceremony was held at the Prime Minister’s Office in this regard during the Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting, said an official statement. It said that the charter has been approved with consensus.

A meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) will be the next on the official agenda. It will approve the national development outlay for the next financial year.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi along with chief ministers of the four provinces signs Pakistan Water Charter at PM Office, Islamabad on April 24, 2018.

The aim of the policy is to put in a framework for ensuring effective management and conservation of existing water resources, improving availability, reliability, and quality of fresh water to meet critical municipal, agricultural, energy and food security needs, besides addressing environmental concerns.

The draft policy addresses critical issues of reduction in wastage of water, enhancement of water storage capacity from 14 million acre feet (MAF) to at least 28 MAF through a network of small, medium and large-sized storage reservoirs, increasing efficiency of water use by producing more crop per drop, gradual replacement and refurbishing of irrigation infrastructure and setting up of realistic and achievable targets in consultation with the provinces.