The summary of recommendations and conclusions is based on the state-of-the-art papers and the group discussions presented at the roundtable meeting held at IWASRI in November 2000, Lahore, Pakistan.
PAPER 1: O&M OF DRAINAGE SYSTEMS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND RURAL LIVELIHOODS
BACKGROUND
IWASRI has gained considerable experience in research on drainage systems needed for control of waterlogging and salinity. The research, especially in this field, has benefited from 12 years of support from the recently concluded Netherlands research assistance project (NRAP). Many of the lessons learned from past research have proved valuable in that they could lead to saving on investments or allow better choices among alternative solutions.
Major issues
The review of the IPTRID programme focused on four major factors affecting the O&M of drainage systems. R&D is divided into several sub-topics, summarized in the table. This table gives the priority ranking as proposed at the roundtable meeting; it is based on the inventory made in June 2000.
R&D priorities
Farmers' participation in O&M of drainage
Topic (1) is most directly related to an important and global problem - farmers' participation in O&M of drainage systems at tertiary level. The involvement of FOs is essential for R&D. Testing of alternative solutions needs intensive farmer involvement. IPTRID would prefer to continue with R&D at this level, the tertiary or farmers' level, and to formulate a project shortly.
Performance of drainage systems
Maintenance of drainage systems conveying larger flows at secondary or main level requires more than farmer participation alone. Mechanical cleaning becomes necessary; various methods exist. This may be tested under topic (2), a logical complement to R&D as detailed under (1).
|
1. Farmers' participation in O&M of drainage. |
1. Collaborative on-farm drainage 2. Training and capacity building of FOs. 3. Pilot studies on participatory approaches. 4. Social mobilization for farmers' participation. 5. Close coordination of government agencies with FOs. |
|
2. Performance of drainage systems. |
1. O&M funding. 2. Maintenance assessment surveys. 3 Regular desilting. 4. O&M through participatory drainage. 5. Preference to tile drainage. 6. Credit facility to farmers. 7. Priority to maintenance of surface drains. 8. Capacity building. |
|
3. Management-information systems for improving O&M of drainage systems. |
1. Monitoring and evaluation. 2. Environmental impact assessment. 3. Study of the salt balance and its impact on the system. 4. Coordination and integration with the farming community. 5. Data base development. 6. Information sharing and networking. |
|
4. Institutional factors for effective O&M of drainage. |
1. Environmental protection. 2. Adequate funding for O&M. 3. Research support. 4. Inter-agency coordination. 5. Legislation for PIDAs, AWBs and FOs. 6. Institutional support to FOs. 7. Uniform policies regarding farmers' participation. |
Management information systems for improving O&M of drainage systems
The R&D suggested under (3) is important for O&M of drainage systems and also supersedes it, because it will be relevant to management of the Irrigation canal commands (ICCs). It is hence relevant to a future NDA. The suggested research could be added to R&D as proposed for the NDA and prepared as a project document (see Appendix II).
Institutional factors for effective O&M of drainage
The importance of institutional factors is unquestionable. At this moment it is ranked lowest, because IPTRID's mandate and expertise are not yet adequate for implementing such research activities. Successful R&D requires readiness to test R&D recommendations for institutional reforms, so the implications are larger and involve various levels of administration. Prerequisites on this issue must be carefully identified prior to the start of R&D.
Location of R&D on O&M of drainage systems
It has become clear from many years of observations that groundwater tables are falling in Punjab and rising in Sindh. The fall in Punjab may be explained by several factors: the area irrigated in Punjab is large in relation to available water supplies, farmers pump groundwater to supplement irrigation water and underground drainage - lateral outflow through a transmissive aquifer - is to the Southwest towards Sindh.
In Sindh the situation is worsening: groundwater tables are rising steadily, causing waterlogging and salinization of the rootzone. The preferred location for R&D related to drainage and waterlogging and salinity is therefore Sindh province.
PAPER 2: MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES TOWARDS A NATIONAL DRAINAGE ACCORD (NDA)
Background
Much of the irrigated agriculture in Pakistan needs drainage to control waterlogging and salinization of the rootzone and to keep agriculture sustainable. Drainage effluent produced by existing and planned agricultural drainage systems must be disposed of in such a way as to avoid environmental and human health problems. Municipalities and industries as well as agriculture dispose of untreated waste into the drainage systems. The consequence is that surface water and groundwaters are becoming polluted. This calls for integrated drainage management, which requires collaboration at all levels in the water control system. This is referred to as the NDA, which is proposed for the whole of Pakistan.
Drainage management
Drainage management must be integrated into the whole water management system, including:
integrating water quantity and water quality management;
integrating ICCs;
integrating the various levels of the irrigation and drainage system within an ICC;
creating awareness that first efforts need to be made at farm level to deal with problems of drainage management;
integrating federal, provincial and other administrative levels;
reaching an inter-provincial accord on dealing with the management and disposal of effluent; given water allocations from the river Indus, for average years and years with water shortage or excess, provinces already collaborate on the basis of a legal framework.
integrating the NDA into the overall water management plan.
Major issues
To prepare for an efficient, practicable NDA, attention has to be paid to such major issues as:
a. measures that aim at:
1: agricultural drainwater quality improvement prior to disposal;
2: agricultural drain volume reduction;
3: minimizing groundwater pollution.
b. improved control over point-source pollution of drainwater;
c. national network of data collection, monitoring and communication system;
d. water management decision-support systems based on monitored data;
e. development of institutional frameworks;
f. legislation.
R&D priorities
All the major issues require R&D at pilot or local level prior to implementation on a larger scale.
As for (a), IPTRID has already prepared a project formulation framework (PFF): Integration of irrigation, groundwater and effluent management towards a national drainage accord. This is attached in Appendix 2. This project selected the ICC Lower Jehlum, in Punjab province, as an example for studies related to integrated water management aiming at objectives 1, 2 and 3 above. Punjab province is the preferred location for the R&D focussing on long-term effects of integrating the use of groundwater to supplement deficient irrigation water supplies.
For topics (b) to (f), R&D projects will be formulated as required and when implementation seems possible.
PAPER 3: WATER MANAGEMENT IN BALUCHISTAN
Background
Water scarcity in Baluchistan is becoming ever more severe. The main water resource is rainfall; to supplement it, groundwater is increasingly being used. The use of groundwater implies mining the resources, because more water is withdrawn than recharged.
Major issues
Three major directions for action are possible:
a. increase water availability;
b. use available water more efficiently;
c. provide the legal framework and institutional setting that can enforce water use efficiency improvements and prevent waste;
Various measures for increasing water availability are possible and already practised. They all concern water conservation and water harvesting measures. Increasing the recharge of rainfall to groundwater is being investigated. Afforestation of catchments is being implemented to prevent erosion from heavy rainstorms and to improve recharge.
More efficient irrigation requires more modern technologies. They are already being used, but it may be possible to improve or add to them. Based on available water supplies per farm, the feasibility of crop substitution and diversification may be investigated, depending on farming systems and economics.
Legal and institutional aspects of groundwater use are under study. A groundwater development and conservation authority has been proposed to make the exploitation of groundwater resources more efficient.
R&D priorities
With respect to (a) and (b), to conclude whether IPTRID can make significant contributions in proposing R&D, an identification mission should be fielded to list water conservation and harvesting technologies currently in use and examine the efficiency of existing irrigation methods. R&D projects arising from its conclusions may be formulated later.
With respect to (c), IPTRID currently has no mandate for R&D related to legal and institutional frameworks. No further activity is foreseen at this stage from IPTRID.
PAPER 4: STATE-OF-THE-ART USE OF REMOTE SENSING (RS) AND GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) FOR MONITORING WATERLOGGING AND SALINITY
Background
The usefulness of RS and GIS for agricultural water management has been demonstrated various times. Assessing the extent and anticipated evolution of waterlogging and salinization, using satellite imagery combined with GIS techniques, would be promising. IWMI in Lahore is implementing a major research effort in this field.
Major issues
RS has some major contributions to make to irrigated agriculture:
monitoring irrigated areas;
monitoring the extent of areas subjected to waterlogging and soil salinization;
monitoring agronomic data such as extent and type of crops cultivated and signalling the occurrence of pests and diseases;
maintenance status of water conveyance infrastructure, roads, point-source pollution, etc.;
coordinated use of results of data by various agencies.
R&D priorities
Relevant applications may be expected from current research in this relatively new field of science.
IPTRID's R&D efforts in the area of RS might be best combined with IWMI's R&D programme. R&D to be formulated on RS combined with GIS techniques may be linked to other IPTRID-supported research programmes to increase the value of the activities.
A first major issue is waterlogging and salinization of rootzones over large irrigated areas. Through carefully defined R&D on RS techniques, the possibility of forecasting the evolution of waterlogging and salinization should be investigated.
A second major issue is whether RS products can be used by ICC management to adjust and improve water management.
