SMALL DAMS AND SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT: A CASE STUDY OF POTOHAR, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Small dams are vital infrastructures that can be used to address water scarcity issues, promote sustainable agriculture practices and improve rural livelihoods. In Pakistan, where agriculture is the main source of livelihood for the majority of the population, the construction of small dams has been identified as a means of providing irrigation water to farmlands and improving the socio-economic status of rural communities. This paper focuses on the impact of small dams on social empowerment in the Potohar region of Pakistan. Locale of the study was Potohar Plateau of Pakistan which includes Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum and Rawalpindi. Data were collected from the encroachment areas of ten dams. Data of beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries were collected through a structured tool. Data shoes the participation of farmer with different education groups, type of their family, marital status, cultivated land, and social empowerment. Data represents that participant reported four different levels of social empowerment, in which higher level of empowerment was reported by 65.0 percent. In addition, data shows that social empowerment is not dependent with the utilization of dam water. And regression analysis between respondent’s and social empowerment shows p values 0.485, and that is less than value of alpha. So, we conclude that social empowerment is found in the areas under study but that is not linked with small dam utilization. And study further suggest to explore the key indicators of social empowerment in Potohar. Keywords: small dams, social empowerment, Potohar Plateau, Potohar Pakistan