Pakistan’s water storage capacity is abysmally low at 30 days, compared with 120 days in India. PHOTO: FILE
The Director of the Water Management Research Centre (WMRC) at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), Prof Dr Allah Bakhsh, has expressed deep concern over what he says is the excessive pumping of water by farmers on the Indian side of Punjab. Dr Bakhsh says that excessive pumping is lowering the water table in India, causing water from the Pakistani side to flow to Indian Punjab.
While speaking here at a seminar and workshop on agricultural technologies, he warned that Pakistan’s water storage capacity is abysmally low at 30 days, compared with 120 days in India, 200 days in China and Australia and 500 days in the US. He was of the view that only option left with Pakistan is to increase the crop yield per unit of land and per unit of water consumed.
The two-day seminar had been organised by WMRC and the UAF’s Department of Irrigation and Drainage, and attended by Australian Deputy High Commissioner Paul Molloy, UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Dr Tri Nguyen Quang from the Dalhousie University in Canada.
One of the speakers pointed out that India and Pakistan witnessed 20 and 10 billion cubic metres of water depletion respectively during the last six years, out of the 68 billion cubic metres of available surface water. “We are inefficient in using water, fertiliser, horsepower, human capital and other inputs,” he said; adding that: “If the country keeps the same practice, we will soon see a large segment of the population facing food insecurity.”
Talking about precision agriculture, Molloy said that precision farming implies a management strategy to increase productivity and economic returns with a reduced impact on the environment, by taking into account variability within and between fields. He was of the view that precision farming on a regional level is one way to apply this approach to small-farm agriculture, and may also promote the development of rural areas.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 22nd, 2013.
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@Ali: We're facing a potential water crisis thanks to poor agricultural practices of India and here you are throwing out nonsensical bakwas. The immaturity you display is one of the trademark characteristics of Pakistanis and one of the reasons the nation is so pathetic and backward.
@Ali: You forgot another. India will be launching solar reflectors which will deflect all the sun light to India and then you won't have Water, Air, Electricity nor any sun light!
Is he really a Professor or just a 'Professor'?
@Zain solar tube well costs a lot of money. The fact is that 90% of our farmers can't afford solar tube well.
@Ali: I hope the heat is treating you well.
@Zain &ali really ill informed comment for two reasons.
Drawing more water than replinshing groundwater reservers is an environmental disaster of epic proportions. Just following Indians in excessive pumping would only speed up the destruction of water resources.
India gives electricity subsidies which are harming us since whatever measures we take to protect ground water resourcers become ineffective over time.
Bottomline Indians are destroying their water resources and in the process they are also taking us down.
@Ali: You are amazing.After reading your comment My whole home shake with laughter. One of the best comment. Genius. LOL
@Ali: Best comment I just fell off my sofa. In any case it is a good idea patent it.
@Ali: lol .nice one..
It's just the beginning. Next thing Indians will install large Air Turbines to suck the air from the Pakistani sky. And our govt. will be watching. No electricity, no water, no air.
If we are not pumping it out then they will !!! get those tube wells up and running now ... oh it is load shedding !!!!
We Pakistanis just like to Complain. Why don't the Pakistani Farmers Draw Up more water, use Solar Tube wells as also suggested by the European expert. Why not... Pakistan's Punjab Province has the Capacity, and it is not any Smaller than India's Punjab Province. But India's Punjab Feeds all of India, but Pakistan's Punjab is hardly able to grow enough for a much smaller population. Mainly because old farming methods which low crop yield.