Farmers urged to adopt modern irrigation techniques in face of water shortage

Pakistan's farming community urgently needs to switch to modern irrigation techniques to combat declining agricultural productivity caused by an acute water shortage, according to water experts. The shortage is mainly caused by reduced monsoon rainfall this year. "Our immediate water shortage problem could be solved through better water management and the use of the latest agricultural techniques," Dr Munir Ahmed of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) told IRIN in the capital, Islamabad. Pakistan's leading water authority, the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), announced earlier this month that the country is facing a water shortage of almost 43 percent needed for sowing the major cash crop of wheat in the forthcoming winter season. Agricultural experts have estimated a fall of 20-25 percent in wheat productivity if the present situation continues without any significant winter rainfall. "Poor traditional techniques of flood farming are being used throughout the Indian subcontinent, as there was sufficient water in the past. But now, government and farmers have to work out ways for the better management of available water and improve water [use] efficiency to cope with the water shortage," Nadim Malik, a leading economist, told IRIN. "The wastage of water at the field and water course level is almost 30 percent. If only watercourses were lined [sealed] properly then certainly we could save almost 20 to 25 percent of water," Ahmed said. "Over the long run, there is no substitute for reservoirs, whether small or large - they are critical." Malik added that, while the impact on agricultural productivity was difficult to assess, the water shortage had wider implications. In addition to having a negative impact on agriculture and livestock, it added to rural poverty as hydropower generation declined, thereby increasing dependency on thermal power, which ultimately increased the cost of production. "Our people - both at the government as well as political leadership level - are not really aware of the water management issues and strategies so far. They are just issuing statements over the reduced provincial water share without realising the scale and magnitude of water scarcity," Rana Nazir, the coordinator of water management programme at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), told IRIN from the eastern city of Lahore. Water experts also pointed out the gap between research and the dissemination of output to the farmers in the fields. "Nobody is dealing with farm water management practices at large. Besides funding constraints, political will is also lacking at the government level," Nazir noted, adding, "There are so many bodies dealing with water management at federal and provincial level. But they only deal and try to lessen the water supply losses through lining of canals and nothing else is being done beyond that," Nazir said. Aside from the water shortage, agricultural experts say that in order to increase agricultural productivity the country needs to develop more productive crop varieties and improve soil quality. "Water logging and salinity is badly affecting our soil quality and creating a serious problem, particularly for wheat production. Our farmers are not aware of techniques to improve soil quality," Dr Zaffar Moeen Nasir of PIDE told IRIN. "The availability of per capita water is rapidly declining in Pakistan. As per the independent forecasts for 2010 and 2012, we could face a severe food shortage if no big dams are constructed," Malik said. The government must take any final decision regarding the construction of dams, he maintained. "We need to go simultaneously [with various measures]. If we just go for building dams without employing new agro technologies then it would be of no use," Dr Ahmed of PIDE said.