Abstract
Groundwater is playing an essential role in expanding irrigated agriculture in many parts of the world. Pakistan is the third-largest user of groundwater for irrigation in the world. The surface water supplies are sufficient to irrigate 27% of the area, whereas the remaining 73% is directly or indirectly irrigated using groundwater. The Punjab province uses more than 90% of the total groundwater abstraction. Currently, 1.2 million private tubewells are working in the country, out of which 85% are in Punjab, 6.4% are in Sindh, 3.8% are in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and 4.8% are in Baluchistan. The total groundwater extraction in Pakistan is about 60 billion m3. The access to groundwater has helped farmers in securing food for the increasing population. However, unchecked groundwater exploitation has created severe environmental problems. These include rapidly falling groundwater levels in the irrigated areas and increased soil salinization problems. The groundwater levels in more than 50% of the irrigated areas of Punjab have dropped below 6 m, resulting in increased pumping cost and degraded groundwater quality. Despite hectic efforts, about 21% of the irrigated area is affected by different levels of salinity. The country has introduced numerous laws and regulations for the sustainable use and management of groundwater resources, but the success has so far been limited. Besides less respect for the law, unavailability of needed data and information, lack of political will and institutional arrangements are the primary reasons for poor groundwater management. Pakistan needs to revisit its strategies to make them adaptable to local conditions. An integrated water resource management approach that brings together relevant government departments, political leadership, knowledge institutions, and other stakeholders could be an attractive option.
Highlights
Groundwater irrigation plays a vital role in boosting agricultural production and livelihoods of rural communities in many parts of the world
Pakistan has immensely benefited from the extensive development of groundwater, as it has helped to achieve food security and protected livelihoods for millions of people living in the country
Its unregulated and unplanned exploitation is replete with severe consequences, as the groundwater levels are falling in large tracts of irrigated land resulting in an increased cost of pumping and degraded quality of the pumped water
Summary
Groundwater irrigation plays a vital role in boosting agricultural production and livelihoods of rural communities in many parts of the world. Diminishing surface water supplies and the desire to expand the irrigated area to produce more food for the ever-increasing population are the major factors behind this intensive groundwater use. The surface water availability in the Indus basin is 820 mm/ha/year, assuming a total canal supply of 130 bm and a serving area of 16 mha. This water availability is far lower than the evapotranspiration requirements to support a year-round basin-wide intensive cropping system practiced in the Indus basin. This shortfall in surface water supplies is met through the exploitation of groundwater. River basin of China and Ganges-Brahmaputra basin in India and Bangladesh
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