Abstract. The Indus basin is one of the regions in the world that is faced with major challenges for its water sector, due to population growth, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, environmental degradation, unregulated utilization of the resources, inefficient water use and poverty, all aggravated by climate change. The Indus Basin is shared by 4 countriesPakistan, India, Afghanistan and China. With a current population of 237 million people which is projected to increase to 319 million in 2025 and 383 million in 2050, already today water resources are abstracted almost entirely (more than 95 % for irrigation). Climate change will result in increased water availability in the short term. However in the long term water availability will decrease. Some current aspects in the basin need to be re-evaluated. During the past decades water abstractions -and especially groundwater extractionshave augmented continuously to support a rice-wheat system where rice is grown during the kharif (wet, summer) season (as well as sugar cane, cotton, maize and other crops) and wheat during the rabi (dry, winter) season. However, the sustainability of this system in its current form is questionable. Additional water for domestic and industrial purposes is required for the future and should be made available by a reduction in irrigation requirements. This paper gives a comprehensive listing and description of available options for current and future sustainable water resources management (WRM) within the basin. Sustainable WRM practices include both water supply management and water demand management options. Water supply management options include: (1) reservoir management as the basin is characterised by a strong seasonal behaviour in water availability (monsoon and meltwater) and water demands; (2) water quality conservation and investment in wastewater infrastructure; (3) the use of alternative water resources like the recycling of wastewater and desalination; (4) land use planning and soil conservation as well as flood management, with a focus on the reduction of erosion and resulting sedimentation as well as the restoration of ecosystem services like wetlands and natural floodplains. Water demand management options include: (1) the management of conjunctive use of surface and groundwater; as well as (2) the rehabilitation and modernization of existing infrastructure. Other demand management options are: (3) the increase of water productivity for agriculture; (4) crop planning and diversification including the critical assessment of agricultural export, especially (basmati) rice; (5) economic instruments and (6) changing food demand patterns and limiting post-harvest losses.

The quantification of the effect of climate change on the hydrological water balance components within a catchment is invaluable for future planning within the water sector (municipal and industrial water supply, hydropower, irrigation, snowmaking). As the regional effect of global warming is somewhat uncertain, the provision of quantitative estimates with error bands is essential. Many studies only take one or a very limited sample of climate change scenarios into account. In this paper, the hydrological response to a number of regional climate change model scenarios for the end of the 21st century within the catchment of the Kitzbüheler Ache in Austria is investigated by means of a distributed hydrological model. These regional climate scenarios originate from the European PRUDENCE project. The results show a shift from a rainfall and snowmelt-dominated flow regime to a rainfall-dominated flow regime for all scenarios. A future decrease in snowmelt and a shortening in snow cover duration is observed, with an increase in winter flow, and a decrease in spring, summer and autumn flow. The typical low-flow period during winter shifts to a low-flow period during late summer and autumn. However, the magnitude of the effects depends strongly on the choice of scenario. Average annual snowmelt reduction ranges from 31 to 81%, average annual runoff reduction from 6 to 33% and average annual evapotranspiration increase from 6 to 20%. These uncertainties are also presented for a monthly and a seasonal time step. These values and observations provide for a future vision within a mountainous catchment in the European Alps. Normal future planning is within a shorter time frame (20-30 years within the water sector), but this future vision puts realistic planning in a wider context. Dans quelle mesure le changement climatique induit-il une modification de l'hydrologie alpine? Etude de cas dans les Alpes autrichiennesRésumé La quantification de l'effet du changement climatique sur les composantes du bilan hydrologique dans un bassin versant est extrêmement importante pour la planification dans le secteur de l'eau (alimentation en eau municipale et industrielle, énergie hydroélectrique, irrigation, enneigement artificiel). Comme l'effet régional du réchauffement climatique est quelque peu incertain, la fourniture d'estimations quantitatives avec des fourchettes d'erreur est essentielle. De nombreuses études ne prennent en compte qu'un échantillonnage très limité de scénar-ios de changement climatique. Dans cet article, on a étudié grâce à un modèle hydrologique distribué, la réponse hydrologique à un certain nombre de scénarios climatiques régionaux pour la fin du 21e siècle dans le bassin versant de l'Ache de Kitzbühel en Autriche. Ces scénarios climatiques régionaux proviennent du projet européen PRUDENCE. Les résultats montrent, pour tous les scénarios, le passage d'un régime dominé par la pluie et la fonte des neiges à un régime dominé par la pluie. On prévoit une diminution de la fonte des neiges et un raccourcissement de la...

The Indus basin is one of the regions in the world that is faced with major challenges for its water sector, due to population growth, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, environmental degradation, unregulated utilization of the resources, inefficient water use and poverty, all aggravated by climate change. This paper gives a comprehensive listing and description of available options for current and future sustainable water resources management (WRM) within the basin. Sustainable WRM practices include both water supply management and water demand management options

Rural electrification is a fundamental step towards achieving universal access to electricity by 2030. On-grid rural electrification remains a costly proposition, therefore the need to consider off-grid renewable energy solutions is inevitable. However, the critical issue pertaining to local power generation through renewable energy is the absence of area-specific production capacity and economic viability data for the different renewable energy technologies. This paper addresses this issue for Pakistan's Balochistan province by assessing the area's potential and economic feasibility of using solar PV for rural electrification. The results suggest that the Balochistan province has the best solar irradiance value in the world. Furthermore, optimal tilt angles calculated for respective regions can significantly increase solar energy yield. The economic feasibility study, carried out for solar PV systems, reveals that the electricity generated using solar PV costs Rs. 7.98 per kWh and is considerably cheaper than conventional electricity, which costs approximately Rs. 20.79 per kWh. Similarly, solar PV systems could mitigate 126,000 metric tons of CO 2 annually if 100% of the unelectrified households adopted solar PV systems. Based on these research findings, this paper proposes a policy that would serve as a guideline for the government to extend solar PV-based off-grid rural electrification projects in Balochistan as well as on a national scale.

This study aimed to investigate foreign language anxiety at tertiary level in Pakistan. It adopted a mixed methods approach. Firstly, foreign language anxiety scale was employed as a research tool for data collection. In addition, the focus group interviews were also conducted to have in depth understanding of anxiety under investigation. Data were randomly collected from 100 participants (Male= 94; Female= 6) from different disciplines who were enrolled to learn English at Lasbela University, Baluchistan. The findings of this study indicate anxiety of participants in learning English language. Specifically, participants were reported more anxious in test anxiety which was rated high by students with total (Mean= 40.5; SD= 7.00), second, communication apprehension is rated with (Mean= 28.8; SD= 5.22) and last but not least is fear of negative evaluation with (Mean= 23.7; SD= 5.93). In focus group interviews, this study frequently recorded some factors such as poor academic background, fear of taking tests in English, fear of making mistakes and fear of evaluation from teachers which maximize the level of anxiety among the participants. This study suggests some pedagogical strategies which may be considered learning and teaching practices at university level education. Among the strategies, most frequently discussed in interviews were teachers should create rapport among students especially with those who are inactive and passive in learning classroom and they should respect students' feelings and emotions in front of other peers in class These strategies tend to help teachers to minimize anxiety level of participants in classroom.

The fact that climate change is affecting the intensity and frequency of rainfall is well accepted in the scientific community. This is backed by a multitude of reports on the basis of daily rainfall series analysis; however, little research is available for short duration intensities. Due to its significant influence on the behaviour of urban drainage, it is critical to investigate the changes in short duration rainfall intensities. In this study different intensities relevant for the urban drainage and the total rainfall per rain event are analysed. The trend is investigated using the Mann-Kendall test. The rainfall series analysed are from the alpine region Tyrol. The results present differences depending on the duration of the intensity and the series considered, however an increase in the number of extreme events is detectable for short durations for the most series.

Safe drinking water is a basic need. Surface water bodies are the primary source of safe water. Drain water, industries, urban/rural effluents, and waste materials are often disposed into surface water bodies without any treatment. All major water bodies of Sindh province are thus more or less polluted. These water bodies are interconnected with the Indus River like the artery system for blood circulation in bodies of living things. The main source of contamination of Hamal Lake is the disposal of the effluents of Hairdin drain, Miro Khan drain, and Shahdad Kot drain. This lake’s main source of fresh water is rained from Khirthar mountains. Hamal lake is connected through the Main Nara Valley drain (MNVD) to Manchar lake that eventually outfalls into Indus River. Hence, drain water pollutes not only Hamal and Manchar lakes but also Indus River due to their interconnection. Presently, right bank outfall drains (RBOD I-III) have been constructed for safe disposal of drain effluents thus avoiding the polluting of freshwater bodies.

There is a philosophy in the construction industry to reduce the cost of a project by reducing construction waste and improving productivity. With lower expenses, lean construction emphasizes the cost of the project at a minimum cost. Globally, the philosophy has gained a wide range of popularity in the construction sector. The Lean Construction has helped practitioners with several tools and techniques to implement at different stages of a construction project. Following global trends, this study has investigated lean practices in Pakistan. With the potential advantages experienced by its implementation in Pakistan's construction projects and the level of implementation of various types of tools and techniques has been analyzed. To achieve the goal, the study had tried to capture construction projects in which four shareholders are being represented, which are clients, consultants, contractors and material suppliers. Overall 34 completed questionnaires were collected and then analyzed. The results of the analysis have indicated that pull approach, standard of work, time consuming, visualization tools, the integrated project delivery methods and the quality failure in safe limits are common lean techniques which are being implemented to the local construction industry. While there are major benefits of waste reduction, client satisfaction, better communication, visual control and proper task management to build appropriate work are the key benefits of lean construction.