Project considered a milestone in rural development, combining advanced engineering with strong community participation
Lift irrigation project in Nagar district of GB. PHOTO: EXPRESS
German Ambassador to Pakistan Ina Lepel on Thursday visited the Qorqon Dass Lift irrigation project in Nagar district of Gilgit-Baltistan, praising the initiative to transform arid mountain slopes into fertile agricultural land and promote large-scale afforestation in the region.
The German envoy met with local community members and representatives of the Aga Khan Rural Support Program (AKRSP), which implemented the project under the Hydropower and Renewable Energy Phase II (HRE-II) initiative, supported by Germany’s KfW Development Bank.
The innovative irrigation system pumps water 418 feet uphill to the Qorqon Dass Plateau, enabling the cultivation of 1,200 kanals of previously uncultivable land. The project is considered a milestone in sustainable rural development, combining advanced engineering with strong community participation.
“This initiative reflects the long-standing partnership between the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and German development cooperation,” Lepel said. “It demonstrates how collaboration and shared commitment can deliver tangible progress in improving livelihoods and resilience.”
A distinctive feature of the project is its focus on women’s empowerment. 30 percent of the new irrigated land (about 360 kanals) has been allocated to women’s organizations, giving them direct ownership and control over agricultural production for the first time.
“The water that came uphill has also improved our place in the community,” said Bibi Hoor, president of the Akbarabad Women’s Organization.
In addition to promoting gender equality, the community has designated another 30 percent of land for wildlife habitats, highlighting its commitment to biodiversity and climate resilience.
“Climate change has hit our mountains hard: springs have dried up and wildlife is disappearing,” said Sajid Ali, president of the Shainbar Rural Support Organization. “By dedicating land to both agriculture and biodiversity, we are healing both our people and our environment.”
Villagers described the project as an engineering feat and a social transformation. “It’s like making the river go up the mountain,” commented a local elder when the first streams reached the plateau.
Located about 50 kilometers from Gilgit and 6,079 feet above sea level, Chalt in Nagar has long depended on subsistence farming. The new irrigation system is expected to benefit more than 570 families by improving food security, increasing income and encouraging environmental regeneration.
For AKRSP, the project continues a four-decade legacy of helping mountain communities reclaim and cultivate more than 131,000 hectares of new land in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral.
Experts say the Qorqon Dass project’s integration of technology, social equity and environmental management makes it a model of climate-smart rural development in northern areas of Pakistan.
