EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE IRRIGATION-MANAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN by Illahi B. Shaikh

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EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE IRRIGATION-MANAGEMENTIN PAKISTAN

Illahi B. Shaikh*

ABSTRACTakistan, with a Geographical area of796,101 square kilometers, possesseslarge rivers, like Indus which, along with

its 5 tributaries, namely Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi,Kabul and Sutlej, forms one of the mightiestRiver-Systems of the world. The River-Systemcomprises 2 storage reservoirs, 19 large riversheadworks, 43 Canal Systems measuring58,000 kilometers, some 1.6 million kilometersof water-courses and field Irrigation Channels.Pakistan has big rivers like Indus, Chenab,Ravi, Jhelum and Sutlej, where discharges insummer season vary from 100 thousandCusecs to 1,200 thousand Cusecs (3thousand to 34 thousand cumecs) and cancause tremendous loss to human lives, cropsand property. Due to limited capacity ofstorage at Tarbela and Mangla Dams on riverIndus and Jhelum, with virtually no control onChenab, Ravi and Sutlej, devastatingproblems are faced between July and Octoberin the event of excessive rainfall in thecatchments.

In order to manage the huge Irrigation-System,Planning has been made, in consultation withfour Provincial Irrigation Departments and

Government of Pakistan, to establishProvincial Irrigation and Drainage Authoritiesand Former Organizations, which are underway. This paper discusses, in detail, theirrigation-network in Pakistan and the efforts toestablish Irrigation and Drainage Authorities,Former Organizations, etc, for efficient andsustainable management of irrigation inPakistan.

INTRODUCTION

akistan, with a Geographical area of796,101 square kilometers, possesses

large rivers, like Indus which, along withits 5 tributaries, namely Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi,Kabul and Sutlej, forms one of the mightiestRiver-Systems of the world. The River-Systemcomprises 2 storage reservoirs, 19 large riversheadworks, 43 Canal-Systems measuring58,000 kilometers, some 1.6 million kilometersof water-courses and field Irrigation-Channels.Pakistan has big rivers like Indus, Chenab,Ravi, Jhelum and Sutlej, where discharges insummer season vary from 100 thousand

Cusecs to 1,200 thousand Cusecs (3thousand to 34 thousand cusecs) and cancause tremendous loss to human lives, cropsand property. Due to limited capacity ofstorage at Tarbela and Mangla Dams on riverIndus and Jhelum, with virtually no control onChenab, Ravi and Sutlej, devastatingproblems are faced between July and Octoberin the event of excessive rainfall in thecatchments (see Figure-1).

Pakistan comprises four major administrativeunits; Punjab, Sindh, North West FrontierProvince and Balochistan, besides theFederally Administered Tribal Areas.

Pakistan's population as estimated in 2001 is140 million. The population growth-rate isestimated at 2.1%. The overall density ofpopulation is 174.63 per kilometers. However,there is large regional variation in population-density. Pakistan is a country with a verydiverse social and geographic landscape. Itcomprises high mountains in the north, todesolate plateaus, fertile plains, sandydeserts, coastal beaches and mangroveforests in the south. It has the largest share ofthe highest mountain-peaks in the world andhas more glaciers than any other land outsidethe North and South Poles. Pakistan's glacial

area covers some 13,680 sq.km, whichrepresents an average of 13 per cent ofmountain-regions of the upper Indus-Basin.

THE IRRIGATION NETWORK

he Irrigation system of Pakistan is thelargest integrated irrigation network inthe world, serving 34.5 million acres

(13.96 million ha) of contiguous cultivatedland. The system is fed by the waters of theIndus River and its tributaries. The salientfeatures of the system are three major storagereservoirs, namely, Tarbela and Chashma on

River Indus, and Mangla on River Jhelum, witha present live-storage of about 15.4 BM3 (12.5

MAF), 19 barrages; 12 inter-river link canalsand 43 independent irrigation canalcommands (Figure-2). The total length of maincanals alone is 58,500 Km. Water coursescomprise another 1,621,000 Kms.

Diversion of river waters into offtaking canalsis made through barrages, which are gateddiversion weirs and a system of link canals

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* Engineering Adviser (Civil)/Secretary, Pakistan National Committee of ICID, 16-D Safdar Mansion,Blue Area, Islamabad, Pakistan.


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(Figure-2). The main canals, in turn, deliverwater to branch canals, distributaries andminors. The water-courses get their share ofwater through outlets in the irrigation channels.Distribution of water from a watercourse iseffected through a time-schedule or"warabandi", under which each farm gets

water for a specified period once a week. Thetime-share of "wari" is proportionate to thefarm area owned by a farmer under thecommand of the water-course.

The system draws an average of 106 MAF(131 BM

3) of surface-water each year for

irrigation. Supplemented by an annualgroundwater pumpage of some 50 MAF, theaverage depth of water available at thefarmgate is 3.07 feet per acre. Approximately3 million individual farms, with an average sizeof about 12 acres (5 ha), benefit from thissystem.

WATER AVAILABILITY &UTILIZATION

akistan has a diverse agro-ecologicalsetting and is divided into threehydrological regions; (a) the Indus-

Basin, which is the major source of Pakistan'swater, (b) the Kharan desert in westBalochistan, with inland drainage and (c) thearid Makran coast along the Arabian Sea inthe southern part of Balochistan. The desertsin the south (Thar and Cholistan) have nowater-resources. Most of the Indus-Basin has

been formed as a result of alluvial depositsbrought by rivers from the mountainous rangesin the north. The flows in the Indus River arefrom glacial snow melt, as well as rainfalloutside the Indus Plains. Under the Indus-Water Treaty (1960), the flows of the threeeastern rivers, the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, havebeen allocated to India and water from thethree western rivers, the Indus, Jhelum andChenab is available for Pakistan.

The flow of the Indus River and its tributariesconstitutes the main source of surface-waterfor the country. Based on 74 years of historic

data from 1992-93 to 1996-97, the averageannual inflow of the western rivers at the rim-station amounts to 140 million acre feet MAF(173 BM

3). The flow varies from year to year;

the maximum was 186.79 MAF (230 BM3) in

1959-60 and the minimum was 86 MAF (106BM

3) in 1999-2000. This presents a variation

of more than 65% in the annual average-flows.

The groundwater storage-capacity in Pakistanis estimated to be around 55 MAF (67.8 BM

3).

The hydrogeological conditions are mostlyfavourable for pumping by tube-wells. It isestimated that 15,504 large-capacity publictube-wells and 469,546 private tube-wells oflow capacity are currently installed in thecountry. Thus, the groundwater pumpage inthe Indus-basin has increased from 33.4 MAF

(41 BM

3

) in 1959 to about 50 MAF (62 BM

3

) in1999-2000. Quality of groundwater is variable,with about 79% of the area in Punjab and 28%in Sindh as fresh groundwater suitable forirrigation. However, indiscriminate pumping,without proper monitoring, and lack ofknowledge about the chemistry andhydrodynamics of the aquifer has alreadycontributed to the pollution of the aquifers incertain pockets.

At the time of independence of Pakistan in1947, about 64 MAF of water was beingutilized annually in the irrigation canals in the

country. With the construction of morebarrages, link canals, and storage dams,water-use has increased to an average of 106MAF (131 BM

3). Per-capita availability of water

has gone down from 5,104 cubic meter in1950 to around 1,200 cubic meter currently-Out of the 35,040 MAF flowing to the sea, atotal of about 20 MAF (25 BM

3) can be used

for future development through construction ofmulti-purpose storages, remodeling of canalsand irrigation extension schemes. There islittle potential for increase in water availabilityfor Pakistan from surface or groundwatersources. However, the 9th Five-Year Planenvisages that about 4.32 MAF can be madeavailable through conserving measures andinstallation of tube-wells in fresh groundwaterareas.

Currently, 97% of the fresh water in Pakistanis used in the agriculture-sector and only 3% isavailable for domestic and industrial use. Thecompetitive demands from different sectorshas not yet emerged as a key issue inPakistan but is likely to become a major issuein the future. A review of growth trends showsthat as the income of a country increases, theuse of water by different sector changesdramatically, and the water needs of the

industrial and domestic sector changesdramatically and the water needs of theindustrial and domestic sector grow rapidlyuntil in high-income countries waterrequirements are 47% of the available water.In the immediate future, Pakistan needs toreview strategies for reallocation of water fromirrigation to domestic and industrial use toharvest economic benefits. The rate of returnof a cubic meter of water used for

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Figure - 1: Indus Ir rigation-System and Surface-Storage


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Figure - 2: Schematic Diagram Indus-Basin Irr igation-System


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agriculture is less than 10% of return onmunicipal and industrial use. Conservationmeasures in agriculture can therefore help inincreasing the productivity of water.

IRRIGATION AND WATER-MANAGEMENT ISSUES

ater-resources development andmanagement has acquired newdimensions in Pakistan. A host of

factors constrain the performance of irrigation,which are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional.The major constraints facing the irrigationmanagement broadly include; PhysicalConstraints, Financial Inadequacies,Institutional Issues and EnvironmentalProblems. The Physical Constraints havebeen caused by the agricultural developmentbeyond the system design capacities, scarcityof irrigation water, lack of storages, and

gradual deterioration of the network due to theoverstressing and aging. The main FinancialIssues include inadequate maintenancefunding, rise in maintenance expenditure ofpublic tube-wells, and flood works, as well asescalating expenditures on establishment,stagnation of abiana rates, and a widening gapbetween the expenditure and cost recovery.The Institutional Issues have emergedbecause the changes in the institutional set-uphave lagged behind the changes that havetaken place in the resource-base and socio-economic context over the years. On theEnvironmental Front, the main problems are

waterlogging and salinity, salt-imbalance, andincreasing pollution of water-bodies.

A small fraction of the population pays tax;agricultural income tax has never beenimposed on full-scale basis, despite itspotential to generate resources for the country.The revenue from abiana (water tax) is alsonot collected seriously and there is massiveleakage in the system. There is a legalframework in place for the organization ofWater User Association (WUA), as the Punjab(1981) and Sindh (1982) Water-User Association Ordinances provide for such

associations at the water-course level, whilethe Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority Act (1997) and the Sindh Irrigation andDrainage Authority (1997) provides forestablishing Farmers Organizations (FOs) atdistributary and minor levels. Despite this, theWUAs do not feel empowered to undertakethe responsibility of operating and maintainingtheir watercourses or have any autonomy inthe management of their water-resources.Similarly, a uniform policy exists for the water

supply and sanitation sector, but it is not fullyimplemented. The National EnvironmentalQuality Standards exist, but these are notenforced seriously.

The Indus-Basin Irrigation System wasinstalled almost a hundred years ago and,

now, its efficiency has come down to such anextent that more than 50 per cent of theirrigation-water is lost in transit and duringapplication to the crops. The quantum ofwastage of precious irrigation-water is not onlythe limiting factor for expansion of the irrigatedarea and realizing the maximum benefits perunit of already irrigated land, but it also hasaggravated the severity of the twin menace ofwaterlogging and salinity. Crop-yields onaverage Pakistani farms are considerablylower than the average yields attained bymany other countries of the world, undersimilar agro-climatic conditions. The mounting

pressure of population has furthered theimportance of conservation and bettermanagement of the scarce resource. Thus, thelow productivity of irrigated agriculture andever-increasing pressure of population presenta major threat to the country's food- security inthe future. Therefore, this underscores the direneed to save every drop of water wasted in theirrigation-system and at the farm-level, throughactive participation of the end-users.

The importance of water for Pakistan can notbe under-estimated, particularly for irrigatedagriculture in the country. In Pakistan, irrigatedagriculture covers 16.2 million hectare (74%)out of the total cultivated area of 22 millionhectare. Irrigated agriculture uses 97% of theavailable water and provides over 90% ofagricultural, produce; it accounts for 25% ofGDP, earns 70% of the export revenue andemploys 50% of the work-force directly andanother 20% indirectly. Although the share ofagriculture in GDP has declined over theyears, it is still the largest single contributor toGDP. However, despite its importance, thelevel and growth of agricultural production fallsshort of its real potential. The sustainability ofirrigated agriculture is threatened bycontinuous deterioration of the irrigation

infrastructure.

The need for improvement and up-gradation ofthe irrigation system has become imperativeIndeed, over the last three decades, somedamages have occurred due to floods, causingstoppage of irrigation-water to large areas,with huge economic losses. Recent surveyshave revealed that numerous importanthydraulic structures are in a precarious state

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and the need for rehabilitation is urgent.Besides rehabilitation, the system also needsoverall improvements to allow efficientoperation and equitable water-delivery, inorder to cater for the enhanced water-demandand to meet the challenges of 21st century.

In order to address the sustainability issues, anumber of policy-interventions have beenproposed. While the main thrust of the policy-framework remains on institutional reforms,other policy interventions like Global WaterLaw, Dis-investment of Fresh GroundwaterTube-wells, Groundwater RegulatoryFramework, Optimizing Irrigation-Water Allocations and Alternative Rate Mechanisms,are also proposed for optimizing the overallIrrigation Management. A sectoral strategyand National Water Policy are also beingformulated, to have a historic approach fordevelopment and management of the water

sector.

At the moment, the irrigation and drainagesystem of Pakistan suffers from a number offundamental problems, notably;

Unsatisfactory planning and programmingof public expenditure on drainage;

Delays in Implementation;

Unsatisfactory planning, funding andexecution of operation and maintenance

(O&M);

Deteriorating capabilities of key-institutions;

Lack of public participation;

Inadequate investment in drainage;

Poor monitoring of drainage projects andinfrastructure, and

Inadequate investment in research ondrainage, and lack of application ofresearch-results to policy and planning.

FARMERS’ PARTICIPATION INCANAL-IRRIGATION AND WATER-USERS ASSOCIATIONS

ature has blessed this country with theWorld's largest and most integratedsystem of irrigation. This network was

installed almost a hundred years ago and nowits efficiency has been reduced to such anextent that more than 50 per cent of the

irrigation-water is lost in transit and duringapplication to the crops. The quantum ofwastage of precious irrigation-water is not onlythe limiting factor for expansion of the irrigatedarea and realizing the maximum benefits perunit of already irrigated land, but also hasaggravated the severity of the twin menace of

waterlogging and salinity. Water-UsersOrganizations were not a part of theagricultural system in Pakistan till the late1970s. With the onset of the On-Farm Water-Management (OFWM) Pilot Projects, theirinvolvement was experimented upon, at timeswhen it was considered a politically explosiveand socially vulnerable issue, and it provedsuccessful. Under various OFWM Programs,efforts were exerted to involve them at tertiarylevels of the irrigation-system and, by now,they are contributing 55 per cent of the cost ofthe civil works on the watercourse. Theusefulness of farmers’ participation in other

countries fostered the testing of some pilots ontheir participation at secondary levels of thesystem. A few pilot-surveys have beenconducted so far and the results have shownthat the WUA's participation can play apromising role in the operation andmaintenance of the already deterioratingirrigation-systems, not only in improvingproductivity but also in sustaining theenvironment. Their performance will,nevertheless, hinge upon effectiveorganizational efforts, imparting necessarytraining to them, proper recognition andadequate legislative support from thegovernment as well as commitment fromoperating agencies.

The Government has recently taken strategicinitiatives to address the longstanding issuesof irrigation-management that had beenreflecting on the performance of the sector.The new strategies primarily focus on bettergovernance, decentralization, participatorymanagement and sustainability. Under theinstitutional reforms agenda, ProvincialIrrigation Departments (PIDAs) are beingtransformed into Provincial Irrigation andDrainage Authority (PIDA). The responsibilitiesof management would be decentralized at

canal command level to Area Water Boards(AWBs), while most of the existing functions atthe distributary / minor level would beperformed by the Farmers Organizations(FOs). The focus of most of the aboveactivities would initially be on pilot AWB andpilot FOs on the System. Subsequently, thereforms package will gradually be extended toother AWBs and FOs, on the basis of theresults of monitoring and learning- experience

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of the pilot programmes. The Government hasenacted the legal framework and the reformagenda is under implementation, to varyingdegrees in all Provinces.

The strategy consists of the followinginterlinked parts:

Restructuring the Provincial IrrigationDepartments (PIDs), to form PublicUtilities (PUs) around canal commands;

Actively promoting formation anddevelopment of Farmers Ortganizations(FOs);

Strengthening federal agencies, notablythe Water and Power Development Authority's (WAPDA's) Water Wing, so asto better implement their federalresponsibilities; and

Formalizing water markets and individualwater-property rights.

PIDAs have been established in all the fourprovinces; one Area Water Board (AWB) ineach province has been notified. Also, Punjaband Sindh have notified rules and regulationsfor FOs. Other provinces are in the process ofdoing the same; 30 FOs have been registeredin Punjab. Formation of 23 FOs have beencompleted, following by registration in SindhProvince under PIDA Act.

NWFP has designated the existing NorthernIrrigation Circle Mardan as Area Water Board,Swat Canals (Pilot) and its Members havealready been notified. The On-Farm Water-Management of the Agriculture Departmenthave already constituted a FO in 31 LoraCanal scheme in Lakki Marwat district andthey are busy in forming FOs in Peshawar andCharsadda areas.

The Farmers' Organization for K.K. BundIrrigation Schemes, in Balochistan, have beenregistered. FOs registration for rehabilitation ofLasbella Canal is being processed.

The issues of physical / financial sustainabilityof irrigation and drainage network is assumingincreasingly critical proportions. The specificpolicy-interventions, which are underconsideration, include the following:

i) Drainage cess and / or otherappropriate measures, including cost-sharing by non-agricultural

beneficiaries, to finance the O&M costof drainage infrastructure.

ii) Mechanisms for financing the O&Mcosts of flood-works, which may inter-alia include transfer (or cost sharing)of non-irrigation flood-infrastructure to

the local bodies / other relevantbeneficiaries and/or charging flood-cess, etc.

iii) Redefining water-rates and alternaterate-mechanisms to enhance theincomes and to rationalizeassessment costs. For a start, flat-rateassessment could be introduced inpilot FOs.

iv) Redefining water-rates for water-useby non-agricultural users.

v) Adequate O&M funding for properupkeep of the existing irrigation-infrastructure. Revision of yardsticks,enhanced allocations and shifting ofresources from SCARP tube-wells tocanals operations.

vi) Need to reassess the impact of theincrease in investment vis-à-vis O&Mrequirements and the increases in“abiana” to sustain such investments.

The following points regarding institutional andenvironmental issues are now under activeconsideration of the Government:

i) Willingness to invest in socialmobilization and capacity-building ofthe upcoming new institutions (i.e AWBs and FOs) is absolutelyessential for the success of theongoing institutional reforms. For thenew entities to be sustainable, theupcoming FOs would require technicalassistance and support for quite sometime, which may account for about 20-30% of the Investment Costs.

ii) There is pressing need to take steps

for expediting the capacity-buildingprocess for the upcoming FOs if thetargets, for formation of FOs andtransitioning of the managementresponsibilities to them, are to be met.

iii) In order to optimize integratedresource-management,comprehensive and holisticinterventions for rationalizing existing


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canal-water allowance need to beundertaken. Appropriate policy alsoneeds to be developed, to address theemerging environmental issues inorder to preserve the water-qualityand land- base for sustainability of theirrigated agriculture.

CONCLUSION

wing to scarcity of water, propermanagement of water-resources isessential for the Agriculture Sector,

which is the largest user of water 97%. The

development of Pakistan's economy stronglydepends on its ability to properly operate andmanage its water-resources. The efficient andeffective use of all water- resources inPakistan requires formulation andimplementation of an appropriate water-sectorpolicy. The Ministry of Water and Power is

formulating a National Water Policy to face thechallenges of water-scarcity. The overallobjective is to utilize the available water-resources to meet the socio-economic andenvironmental needs for sustainabledevelopment in the country.

REFERENCES

Economic Survey of Pakistan - P&D Division, Islamabad

National Drainage Programme PC-1 (1997), Water & Power Development Authority, 60 pp.

Shaikh I.B. (1998) Research Paper for 68th National Management Course, Pakistan Administrative Staff College, Lahore, 65 pp.

South Asia - Water Vision 2025 - A Document Framed by Global Water Partnership (2000)

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EFFICIENT AND SUSTAINABLE IRRIGATION-MANAGEMENT IN PAKISTAN by Illahi B. Shaikh

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