Mid-term evaluation of the Revival of Balochistan Water Resources programme (RBWRG)

RBWRP is a €40m programme supporting Balochistan's transition to a low-water, climate-resilient agro-economy. It operates in four river basins covering 19 districts and is implemented through Landell Mills/IWMI (technical assistance) and FAO (goods and works). The objective is to shift rural irrigated agriculture towards lower water use and sustainable farming and livestock systems, through four linked areas:

1. stronger water and rangeland governance
2. low-water agriculture and measures that support groundwater recharge
3. climate-resilient, water-efficient value chains
4. better-trained agrotechnology cadres and extension services

The mid-term evaluation (up to 31 Dec 2024) finds strong relevance and policy alignment (including SDG 6 and provincial/national water and food policies), but mixed performance. The TA component shows substantial progress in training and some policy/legal outputs, while FAO delivery is slower, with many output targets not yet achieved.

Key constraints include security and access issues, administrative delays (visas, staffing, approvals), diversion of effort to the 2022 floods response, and weak coordination. Gender mainstreaming is important but uneven, and monitoring systems—especially for the TA—need strengthening. Sustainability will depend on operationalising the IWRM policy and related legislation, scaling proven pilots through government and private sector actors, and completing grants and communal schemes.