Japan has approved an $18.5 million grant for a flood management project in Pakistan.

A signing ceremony was held in Islamabad today, where officials from Japan and Pakistan signed an exchange of notes and records of discussion for the initiative.

The project aims to enhance flood forecasting accuracy, improve flood control systems, gather essential data for disaster risk reduction, and help minimize potential human and economic losses, including damage to infrastructure.

Named “Flood Management Enhancement in the Indus Basin,” the project will be implemented through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Its scope includes developing a hydrological and hydraulic observation network and repairing river structures damaged by the 2022 flood along the Indus River and its tributaries. The project also aims to strengthen the capacity of flood management institutions to support long-term flood risk reduction.

The documents were signed by Dr. Kazim Niaz, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and Wada Mitsuhiro, Japan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, representing their respective governments.