Hisaar Foundation

a foundation for water, food and livelihood security

Hisaar Foundation – a foundation for water, food and livelihood security, is a thought leader and innovator in the water sector with the Think Tank on the Rational Use of Water (that works on policy and strategy) the Universities for Water Network (that links research and practice) and several programs on low-cost solutions with relevance to the water-food-livelihood nexus. It was set up in 2003 and is led by a group of dedicated professionals and thinkers who care about water. They are from many disciplines and from diverse professions and backgrounds.

The Think Tank is a multi-stakeholder platform which has developed the “Recommendations for Pakistan’s National Water Policy Framework” in 2016, which is now recognized as the first “Citizens”  Water Policy. The Universities for Water Network (UWN) currently comprises of nine member universities across Pakistan. The UWN has developed a compendium of water all related universities that offer degrees, departments or disciplines related to water, and a database of water professionals and academics of Pakistan as well as a database of research institutes that work on water in Pakistan. Hisaar Foundation’s strategic initiatives (Think Tank and UWN) consolidate the intellectual underpinnings for dealing with Pakistan’s water challenges now and in the future.

Another initiative of Hisaar Foundation, is the flagship biannual Karachi international water conferences that bring together stakeholders from across the world and across the water sector, from government and elected representatives to business and corporate sectors, academia, media, civil society, NGOs and INGOs, women, citizens, water managers and professionals, representatives of water institutions and youth. To date, Hisaar Foundation has hosted two international water conferences “Water Cooperation in Action – From the Global to the Grassroots” in December 2013, “Securing Sustainable Water for All – Innovation, Integration and Inclusion” in November 2015 and gearing up for its third International Water Conference on “The Future of Water “ in November 2017.

Hisaar Foundation is also engaged in work on the ground through its three programmatic streams of creating partnerships for change; developing solutions; and emergency support. Over the past 14 years Hisaar Foundation pioneered novel concepts of Area Water Partnerships, Women and Water Networks, Cost Synergy and Mutual Accountability.  It has also demonstrated many viable solutions on the ground: Project Aab focused on rehabilitation of flood affected communities through the Total Water Solution model and installation of water systems all across Pakistan. Project Aab o Daana focused on domestic water and training for food produce in small urban spaces and rural areas. Project Aab e Thar focuses on both water and food security in desert areas which includes rainwater harvesting storage ponds, new and rehabilitated deep dug wells, hand pumps and boreholes. Its Adopt a Village program provides holistic and comprehensive disaster mitigation capabilities, water solutions, kitchen gardening, livestock development and plant grafting.

Hisaar Foundation has extensive linkages with international partners such as Global Water Partnership, Stockholm International Water Institute, International Network for Capacity Management in Integrated Water Resources Management, Budapest Water Summit and South Asian Consortium for Interdisciplinary Water Resources Studies (SaciWATERs), as well as banks, corporate entities, civil society organizations and grassroots NGOs in Pakistan.