Overview of Water Resources in Pakistan Essay Example

Marala), 12 link canals and 45 irrigation canals. There are also over 107,000 water courses and millions of farm channels; and field ditches. The total length of the main canal system is estimated to be around 585000 kilometers (36932 miles). The length of watercourses and field channels exceeds 1.2 million kilometers (over 1.02 million miles).

Surface water resources increased from about 67 MAF to 85 MAF by the year 1960. India obtained the right of three eastern rivers (Beas, Sutlej, and Ravi) under the Irrigation Water Treaty 1960, and the Indus Basin Project was implemented with assistance from the World Bank during this period. Pakistan gained significant river flow regulation capabilities through the integrated system of IBP. Canal diversions increased gradually and reached about 108 MAF thanks to the regulation-cum-storage facilities of IBP and other irrigation developments on the river Indus. Groundwater resources in the Indus plains span more than 85 million acres and are underlaid predominantly by sand alluvium to a considerable depth, with an estimated annual recharge of around 55 MAF. Nearly 48 MAF of this is within the commands of Indus basin irrigation system (IBIS).

Currently, Pakistan extracts 39 MAF of water annually. Groundwater is present in certain rain-fed lands and inter-mountain valleys at depths ranging from 100 to 200 ft. However, Pakistan's water resources and needs are in a precarious state due to the growing population pressure. With the world's fastest-growing population, which has already exceeded 140 million and is still increasing at a concerning rate of roughly 2%, addressing water resource development is a crucial issue for Pakistan.

There is a need to check the percentage while the growth rate in the agriculture

sector is limited due to the lack of irrigation water, resulting in a lower growth rate than the demand. To maintain the agricultural growth comparable to the population growth, it is necessary to cultivate additional lands. To achieve the required growth targets in agriculture, estimated amounts of about 149 MAF by 2000, 215 MAF by 2013, and approximately 277 MAF by 2025 will be required. Pakistan is facing a water shortage, which has led the country from a water affluent state to a water scarce country. The current shortage of over 40 MAF is projected to increase to over 108 MAF and 151 MAF by 2013 and 2025, respectively. Improving the existing water system and land capabilities is essential as there are no additional water resources available. If not, Pakistan will face a severe shortage of food, fiber, and edible oils in the near future. It is time to recognize our responsibilities and take steps in the right direction.

We need to monitor several issues, including inadequate management and inefficient operation of irrigation systems, poor water application, unequal water distribution, depletion of ground water resources, reduction in storage capacities of existing systems, and wastage of summer river surpluses leading to slow agricultural growth. To improve the country's development potential and future strategies, it is crucial to expand and manage water resources. Potential resources can generate more than 83 MAF water (refer to the table): surface water 33 MAF, ground water 9 MAF, watercourse improvement 15 MAF, minor canals 5 MAF, and distributaries 21 MAF. The report of working group on water resources for the 7th five year plan (1987) stated that no new storage has been

created after Tarbela due to controversies over their construction. Therefore, it is essential to focus on small size irrigation schemes (storage on rivers).

It is necessary to build small dams along the rivers Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, and their tributaries. The identification of sites suitable for these small reservoirs/dams requires surveying. Some potential locations include "Sehwan-Manchar Lake, Chotiari depression, Hamal Lake, Skardu, Bunji, Kohala, Kunhar, Rohtas, Neelam Valley, Ambahar, Dhok Pathan, Dhok Abakki, and Thal Reservoir". The storage capacity of the Mangla dam can also be increased by raising its level.

To enhance sustainable development, an alternative is to improve the management of the current irrigation system and implement new initiatives where feasible. Conjunctive use of groundwater involves coordinated, collaborative, resourceful, and cautious utilization of groundwater to avoid both excessive extraction and inadequate extraction. Previous studies have identified this approach as the most effective and practical strategy from a technical and financial perspective.

Unfortunately, the government lacks effective control over excessive pumping of ground water in some areas, which is causing it to diminish. As a result of over-exploitation, the ground water table is already declining in 14 out of 45 canal commands. This new threat to the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in certain areas of Punjab requires urgent attention. Nevertheless, the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS) has the potential for around 48 MAF water within its commands, and annual extraction of nearly 39 MAF of ground water continues.

There are still 9 MAF of water available from this source that could be used for irrigation purposes. It is crucial to conserve our water supply due to the increasing pressure on land and water resources caused by the

unchecked population growth. As new sources of supply are becoming scarce and geopolitical reasons make construction unlikely in the near future, methods to salvage existing supplies must be emphasized. Reports indicate that about 25 to 30% of water is being lost in the conveyance system of various countries worldwide, making it crucial to increase the efficiency of existing systems and prevent seepage loss.

Lengthy canals result in considerable water loss due to seepage, which could be reduced by lining the channels. According to WAPDA, lining only the minor canals could save more than 5 MAF of irrigation water and improving water course could save an additional 3.6 MAF, leading to a total savings of over 8.6 MAF (GOP, Sixth five year plan, 1983-88). Financial constrains prevent lining of the entire canal system, but high-seepage areas and those in high-salt-content regions could be lined to save large quantities of irrigation water and decrease the risk of waterlogging and salinity. Consequently, this would save significant investments otherwise used for drainage projects.

The current system requires the establishment of new irrigation projects on a non-perennial basis. The Water Apportionment Accord (WAA) of 1991 emphasizes the need for remodelling / constructing non-perennial canals to not only provide more water for agriculture but also save a significant amount during monsoon season. The construction of Thar Canal in Sindh, a non-perennial canal, is recommended to transport the extra water during this period. The fair distribution, efficient management, and even application of available water at the farm-gate have been a significant problem since the irrigation network's existence. Excessive water through tampered outlets, illegal water extraction, deferred maintenance, and siltation of

channel prism all add to the inequity in the system, which has become crucial over the last two decades.

At all levels of the system, there is a lack of balance in distribution. The water distribution between the top and bottom of the irrigation system ranges from 20% to 50% imbalance. Farmers receive their share based on the size of their land and a rotation system is used to allocate water to each farmer for a specified time period.

Essentially, this system does not take into account factors such as crop consumptive use, frequency, and timely irrigation water application. The tail-enders receive 10 to 12% less water share due to high actual or operational losses caused by occurrences such as silt deposits, grass and tree growth on banks, and the presence of rodents, snakes, and insects in the banks. Moreover, the variety of irregular cuts with borrow bits full of water, overtopping on banks, and seepage through bed contributes to the limited water supply for tail-enders. The head reaches become waterlogged while the tail-enders lack adequate water supply resulting in low crop yield. To maximize crop production, this constraint in the system must be eliminated.

The current system should be made more flexible by the government to meet crop water requirements. Different amounts of water are received by outlets on minor or distributary, adding to inequity in distribution due to illegal pumping and excessive losses. Poor operation and maintenance of irrigation systems also contribute to unreliable and unfair water distribution, causing tail users to lose confidence and discouraging them from using nonwater inputs to increase crop yields. Water shortages have forced tail enders to use poor quality

water without proper mixing, leading to the development of salinity in affected areas.

To address the problem posed by watercourse silt deposits and percolation losses, it may not be feasible to line the entire length of the watercourses due to investment constraints. However, it is advisable to prioritize lining the head sections where silt build-up is highest and sandy areas with high percolation losses. By improving watercourse maintenance and ensuring equal distribution, over 15 MAF of water could be conserved. Employing water conservation techniques such as increasing water use efficiency, selecting appropriate crops, growing crops that require less water, and implementing modern irrigation methods such as trickle irrigation is crucial to maintaining agricultural development sustainably.

When it comes to irrigation on farms in Pakistan, farmers are responsible for using the water once it reaches their property. Typically, they use basin, border or furrow methods to distribute the water, but the effectiveness of these methods is limited and often results in uneven distribution across fields. As a result, it is common to see instances of both over and under irrigation occurring within the same area.

Yield reductions may occur due to poor crop germination resulting from both over and under irrigation. It is imperative to conserve water supplies as the unchecked growth of population has led to increased pressure on land and water resources worldwide. As new water sources are unlikely to be constructed in the near future, emphasis must be given to methods that salvage supplies lost through seepage within the irrigation system. Groundwater resources are the second largest contributor to total water availability and have been well utilized by both public SCARP and private tube wells.

Despite

the potential for groundwater depletion in some areas due to excessive pumpage, there is still a plentiful source that can provide over 9 MAF of water. To responsibly utilize this resource for irrigation purposes, any areas showing significant signs of groundwater depletion should be brought under government control. Additionally, the implementation of water conservation programmes - including lining minor canals, distributaries, and water courses - would help preserve large quantities of water while mitigating problems related to water logging and salinity throughout the country.

Encouraging the conjunctive use of water based on scientific principles is essential. Efforts should be focused on converting the current rotation-based irrigation system into a demand-oriented one. Introducing modern irrigation techniques such as trickle and sprinkler can improve water distribution and efficiency in areas where water scarcity is an issue. Such techniques could be particularly beneficial for the development of Kohistan areas in Dadu and Karachi districts of Sindh province. It is crucial to initiate these measures as improper management, inefficient application, poor operation and maintenance of irrigation systems, and unfair water distribution at farm gates have been persistent problems within the irrigation network.

The system becomes inequitable due to several factors including increased water demand, deferred maintenance, siltation of channel prism, excessive water caused by tampered outlets, and illegal water extraction. In addition, different amounts of water are received by outlets on a minor or distributary. To address these issues, it is necessary for the government to implement appropriate measures to ensure equitable distribution, improve efficiency of the system and prevent illegal extraction. Empowering water users is a potential solution that can enable effective management of proper water supplies in distributaries,

minors, and watercourses.

A lack of success has been observed in the irrigation department's efforts to prevent illegal theft and extraction of water. To combat this issue, a proposal has been made to privatize the irrigation distribution system through water users associations. Another problem faced is that irrigators do not value water due to its low cost. Therefore, it is necessary to increase water prices to highlight its significance as a resource. Despite continuous attempts, agriculture targets have not been met in the country due to poor management resulting in issues such as low crop yields, environmental degradation, soil fertility deterioration, waterlogging and salinity problems, and economic hardships for farmers. Hence advanced agricultural technologies must be implemented for significant improvements in this sector.

To achieve optimal crop production with minimal water usage, it is crucial to implement high-yielding varieties and improved agronomic inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides in a scientific manner. Additionally, irrigating crops according to their distinct water requirements is essential. A crop consumptive use-based irrigation system can be implemented to meet the current demands of crops by delivering water precisely when required and in quantities that closely match their needs. The involvement of farmer's organizations, water user associations, and the private sector is necessary for constructing, operating, and maintaining these irrigation systems.

The concept of such associations involves establishing a collaborative system to enhance the quality of waterways.