Fatima Azhar
Fatima Azhar is from Pakistan. She is working at the National Engineering Services Pakistan (Pvt) Limited (NESPAK) which is Pakistan’s premier consultancy organization.
Fatima has been working at NESPAK for five years now. Fatima heard about IHE Delft from her immediate boss at NESPAK who also studied at IHE Delft and followed the same programme. She did research about the programme and the NFP scholarship and decided to apply. ‘’The content of this programme was a good match with my work in Pakistan. Studying at IHE Delft will polish my skills in my field of specialization.’’ Within her job she is responsible for the planning and design of projects falling under the domain of the water resources division, more specifically related to Flow Hydraulics.
She has been engaged in planning, analysis and design of drainage networks, irrigation networks, hydraulic structures, river training works and hydropower schemes. “As my employer is a premier consultancy firm in Pakistan and it undertakes projects of national importance, I feel I am at the right place to make a diminutive but important contribution to the development of Pakistan.”
About problems in her home country: ‘’Pakistan has the world’s largest canal based irrigation system, but at the same time it is one of the most water stressed countries. The way out of the energy crisis for Pakistan is the single renewable energy resource that Pakistan possesses in abundance that is hydropower. Apart from the energy crisis, Pakistan also experiences floods annually due to its climatic and ecological conditions which cause the Indus river system to overflow. The future of Pakistan depends on how it develops and manages its water resources. “Considering the present situation of Pakistan and lack of expertise in the fields of energy and river management, I feel it is important that more people may be sent abroad to gain knowledge and bring back home their valuable experience. I want to be a part of this team and this degree is my way to achieve this goal”
About studying at IHE Delft:
All the staff at IHE Delft is very cooperative. Apart from the regular teaching hours, the teachers make themselves available to answer any query which we pose.
''I like the concept of having a course coordinator for each specialization. Overall the teaching style is good.” When Fatima finishes her study she will go back to her country and will resume working at NESPAK. She would like to share her newly acquired knowledge with her colleagues and urges them to apply for a scholarship and follow a programme at IHE Delft.
On life in Delft: “The people are very friendly and I feel that the environment is very safe.’’