Jamshoro - U.S. Consul General Brian Heath congratulated 20 Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) students and faculty who are part of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded U.S. Pakistan Centers for Advanced Studies in Water (USPCAS-W).  The delegates are heading to the University of Utah to do research as part of the organization's exchange program. "We are proud to empower scientists and researchers in Pakistan so they can contribute to solving the country's water scarcity problems," said Consul General Heath.

MUET Vice Chancellor Mohammad Aslam Uqaili, USPCAS-W Program Director Bakshal Lashari, University of Utah Chief of Party Mohammad Aslam Chaudhry and USAID Deputy Director Craig Buck also attended.

USAID signed a $14.8 million (1.55 billion rupees) cooperative agreement with MUET as well as $9 million (943 million rupees) one with the University of Utah to establish a Centre for Advanced Studies in Water (CAS-W) at MUET. The program aims to help resolve Pakistan's water crisis in cost-effective and sustainable ways.  As part of the program, the University of Utah is providing technical assistance to improve MUET's technical and institutional capacities to deliver high-quality education and applied research to Pakistan's next generation of water sustainability leaders.

Over the next three years, some 250 USPCAS-W graduate students and faculty will spend a semester at universities in the United States to do water research in state-of-the-art laboratories. The exchanges will help upgrade teaching skills, enhance industry awareness and build corporate relationships. The partnership also encompasses curriculum development, research and establishment of new laboratories in Pakistan. USPCAS-W is part of USAID's $127 million (13.3 billion rupees) investment to develop innovative, practical solutions to Pakistan's energy, water, agriculture, and food security challenges.

For more information about USAID programs in Pakistan, please visit www.usaid.gov/pakistan.