About SDIP

Our work with key agencies and educational institutions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh built capacity and tools to support the individual water reform journeys in these countries.

SDIP focused on three major Himalayan river basins – the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra. This region has an estimated 300 million people living in extreme poverty – the single largest concentration of poverty in the world. The economies and livelihoods of the majority of people in this sub-region are heavily dependent on shared water resources.

The Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP) was an Australian Government initiative with the goal of increasing water, food and energy security in South Asia, targeting the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and girls. CSIRO was one of several partners that delivered this initiative.

CSIRO expertise supported steps towards sharing water resources through integrated water resources management. Early work focused on building relationships and also understanding the biophysical, socio-economic, environmental, water management and policy environments of basins and sub-basins within South Asia. Our work with key agencies and educational institutions in Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh built capacity and tools to support the individual water reform journeys in these countries.

Achievements

During SDIP phase 1 (2013-2016), we initiated the building of river system modelling capacity to quantify water resources, developed estimates of sustainable levels of groundwater use for irrigation, collated and shared datasets to support basin planning, and established a collaborative environment between Australia and South Asia for sharing information. Progress was made in three areas: knowledge and practice, capacity development and creating an enabling environment.

During SDIP phase 2 (2016 – 2020) we provided repeatable, quality-assured, evidence-based approaches leading to improved water resource planning and management in the Indus and Koshi basins and northwest Bangladesh.

Priority regional outcomes included:

  • increased food security and economic outcomes for populations by identifying key challenges of addressing the water-food-energy nexus
  • increased resilience of people and systems to adapt to the impacts of a changing climate such as planning for seasonal fluctuations in rainfall and temperature
  • reduced investment risk in infrastructure development and deployment such as hydropower or irrigation by identifying water use needs for energy and agriculture.

Key partner organisations

  • DFAT: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • ICIMOD: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
  • ICE WaRM: International Centre of Excellence in Water Resources Management
  • MOWP: Ministry of Water and Power (Pakistan)
  • IRSA: Indus River System Authority (Pakistan)
  • UAF: University of Agriculture Faisalabad (Pakistan)
  • WAPDA: Water and Power Development Authority (Pakistan)
  • WECS: Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (Nepal)

Find out more about international water research at CSIRO

Contact: Shahriar.Wahid@csiro.au