Glaciers under observation: KfW supports Pakistan in the development of an early warning system

• EUR 6 million for the financing of optimised measuring stations
• Climate change: Provide improved data and boost forecasting ability to better protect the population from floods

On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), KfW has signed a grant contract worth EUR 6 million with the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA). It covers the first phase of development of the Pakistani glacier monitoring system beneath the glaciers in the Karakorum region. The existing measuring systems are outdated and insufficient for the timely prediction of critical water levels and the associated protection of people living on the banks of the Indus against heavy flooding. Therefore, financing will be provided for the development of additional measuring stations, as well as the expansion of the observation centre in Lahore which can provide optimised data using more precise measuring methods.

"Many glaciers in the Himalayan region are changing as a result of climate change and are producing more melt water. If the changes and the concurrent effects on the Indus River can be better understood, improved planning of water management together with an optimised early warning system against extreme weather events will be possible and thus substantial improvement of living conditions of the Pakistani population in the region," said Dr Norbert Kloppenburg, Member of the Executive Board of KfW Group.

Further information on KfW Development Bank is available at: www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de.