Dr. Hassan Abbas is an accomplished expert in hydrology and water resources. He earned his PhD in Water Resources from Michigan State University, USA, and his Masters in Hydrogeology from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. With over 30 years of professional experience in the water sector, Abbas has worked extensively in Australia, North America, Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, and Spitsbergen Island, located near the North Pole. He has been involved in transboundary water resource management around the world, including in the Great Lakes, Euphrates-Tigris Basin, Murray-Darling Basin, and the Indus Basin. Additionally, he has participated in Track II Diplomacy between Pakistan and Afghanistan on the Kabul River Basin.

Abbas frequently engages in media discussions regarding water issues in Pakistan and regularly writes about water-related issues in the Indus Basin. National Geographic, BBC, The New York Times, Deutsche Welle News and Radio News Network have all quoted his works and suggestions for improving the basin.

Abbas is a proponent of a green economy and advocates for sustainable, nature-based solutions in the water sector. He promotes the following ideas for improving the water economy in Pakistan: 1) managing water storage in the riverine aquifers, 2) improving crop-per-drop output in the irrigation sector, 3) promoting navigation in the Indus River System as the primary economic engine for water economy, and 4) using water as an instrument of peace in politically divided river basins.

Dr. Hassan Abbas frequently visits locations throughout Pakistan to gain a deep understanding of mega projects built or planned on rivers for irrigation, energy, and real estate purposes. He is critical of the Tharcoal Power Project and has visited it twice to scientifically analyze its social, economic, and environmental impact. In this particular podcast, he provides detailed insights into this project.

#IndusCast

The Indus basin remains the lifeline of Pakistan, as the Indus River provides the country with its unique identity. As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the Indus River and its tributaries have shaped Pakistan's rich and diverse culture. Social, political, and above all, economic lifestyles are directly associated with the Indus. The 2022 floods have highlighted not only the significance of this water system but also the living proof that millions across Pakistan are solely dependent on the well-being of the #LivingIndus.

Due to multiple factors, the Indus is faced with numerous challenges. High usage of water, population overgrowth, mismanagement of water, centuries-old irrigation systems, diversions, erecting dams, and unequal distribution are some of the issues that greatly impact the #LivingIndus. Environmental degradation of the Indus River and other wetlands in Pakistan has created additional health risks for the population. The river also receives a wide range of industrial waste, organic matter, and ions such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, carbonates, bicarbonates, and chloride, as well as inorganic waste.

Setting out priorities for achieving climate-resilient development for the country through mainstreaming climate change in the economically and socially vulnerable sectors of the country is urgently needed. However, in an era of mistrust, rumors, and media avoidance, constructive opinion building for the development of democracy and democratic institutions is quite a gigantic task. Therefore, finding the gap in focused, trusted, and people-centric information and awareness on Climate Change, Power99 Foundation in collaboration with its International partner #DWA,

DW Akademie ,brought together a group of journalists, broadcasters, and vloggers with diverse languages and geographical backgrounds, spreading from north to south and east to west of Pakistan, and formed the (CCJN) #ConstructiveClimateJournalistNetwork .