Agriculture is the backbone of the economy of Pakistan as many of the country’s most important industries, such as textiles, are dependent on its output. The textile sector’s billions of dollars worth exports are largely dependent on cotton which is produced in large quantities in Pakistan. Agriculture is also heavily dependent on a country’s irrigation system.

According to the available data, the irrigation system in Pakistan comprises rivers, canals, dams, headworks, barrages and tubewells. More than 90 percent of the country’s agriculture, which is a large part of the GDP, depends upon this irrigation system. 75 percent of Pakistan’s agricultural land is irrigated by the system and 25 percent is rain-fed. Even in rain-fed areas, rainwater is insufficient for irrigation.

Pakistan’s problems related to irrigation are not quite different from those faced by many other countries: including waterlogging and salinity, over-exploitation of fresh groundwater, low efficiency in delivery and use, inequitable distribution, unreliable delivery, and insufficient cost recovery. Groundwater tubewells supply additional water but have provided flexibility to match surface water supplies with crop water requirements. Because of uncontrolled (and rapid) private sector development of groundwater, there is a danger of excessive lowering of the water table and intrusion of saline water into fresh-water aquifers.

One of the major issues is a lack of resources and required will to recover the cost of water which is ridiculously low. This leaves irrigation departments in provinces with less financial resources. There have been talks about increasing the cost of water used for agriculture but the plans have been abandoned due to opposition from certain quarters.

Since independence, the irrigation system in Pakistan has helped a lot in agriculture, increasing the cultivable land, eventually leading to an increased production of crops However, it has created problems as well. Issues such as waterlogging are rampant and cultivable land is shrinking at an increased pace. The major reason for this is the poor management of canals and storage facilities. Canal lining is one solution to stop the seepage from the canals as most waterlogged land is near such canals which are not lined properly. The issue of lining canals remains a contentious one. Though a number of steps have been taken to deal with the issue, they aren’t enough. The inequitable distribution also plays a part in this problem. Due to the scarce availability of freshwater, poor quality water is used, which resultantly increases salinity, which alone has affected the 25 percent of the production of crops.

Another major issue with the irrigation system is the reluctance of farmers to adapt to climate change and adopt modern technologies. They still use water flooding to irrigate their lands and are not ready to invest in technologies, like sprinkler systems and pipe irrigation, that conserve water. They also do not listen to the advice of irrigation department outreach officials.

Talking to The News on Sunday (TNS), Sarwat Ali, a progressive farmer in Punjab, says theft of surface water is a big issue that needs to be tackled. He says people install mechanical water pumps alongside canals and arteries to extract water which deprives farmers living at the tail-end. “Over extraction of water through tube wells is fast depleting groundwater resources and bringing the groundwater down to alarming levels. Running tubewells on solar power has led farmers to stop worrying about electricity charges so they extract water in quantities far more than the demand. There shall be a check on installation and running of tubewells,” he says.

“The old Indus basin system irrigation system is in a dilapidated state and needs to be repaired and upgraded,” says Arshad Bajwa, an engineer by profession. He says a lot of water is wasted due to the poor distribution system. For example, he says, close to 30 percent of our dams are filled with silt, which has reduced their storage capacity. He says many obstructions have been built in the natural course of rivers which also affects the smooth flow of water.

“Every year, precious rainwater is wasted due to the country’s inability to conserve water. If they cannot build more big dams like the Kalabagh Dam, they must opt for smaller dams,” he concludes.

The author is a staff   reporter and can be reached at shahzada.irfan@gmail.com