July 17, 2006	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Sani 20, 1427

A NOTABLE feature of Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) this year is sizeable investments in the water sector, with focus largely on improving the efficiency of deteriorating irrigation system and building more storage sites to cope with looming water-shortages.

Water sector makes a prominent component of PSDP that has a total outlay of Rs435 billion. The major chunk of allocated sum goes to already ongoing water projects considered important for the agrarian economy.

A sum of Rs11 billion has been allotted for raising the height of Mangla dam - country’s second largest reservoir. Similarly, big amounts have been set for in-progress flood-canals. Katchi canal in Blochistan province gets Rs5.5 billion, while Thal and Rainee canals receive Rs1.5 billion each.

Funds have also been provided for major under-construction reservoirs of different capacities i.e. Gomal Zam, Kurram Tangi, Mirani, Satpara, and Sabakzi dams. There are also allocations for various projects to improve drainage as well as preparation of feasibility studies and construction of small dams in North Western Frontier Province (NWFP).

The ministry of food, agriculture and livestock (MINFAL) is already implementing a mega project for brick-lining of watercourses, some 87,000 in total in all the four provinces, particularly in Punjab and Sindh. Around 15,000 courses were expected to be brick-lined by June 30, 2006 at a cost of Rs7 billion. PSDP for 06-07 has set aside another Rs6 billion for the purpose.

A new project, worth Rs15 billion, has been initiated to introduce modern irrigation methods such as sprinkle and drip irrigation. However, as the project has to start afresh, just Rs1 billion is earmarked for 06-07.

The officials are pinning hopes on the new investments in country’s irrigation system. Omar Ayub Khan, Minister of State for Finance, in his budget speech to the National Assembly said that projects initiated and implemented by his government will save 25 per cent of the water that goes waste in irrigation. MINFAL Minister, Sikandar Hayat Bosan believes that sprinkle and drip irrigation project will bring green revolution.

As a matter of fact, two dams are expected to be completed this year while the rest of projects will take another three to four years. Mirani, a medium size reservoir with storage capacity of 0.30 million acre-feet, will be completed in September 2006 while Sabakzai’s completion is scheduled for December 06.

The total storage capacity will rise by another 2.9 MAF on completion of Mangla project in September 2007. Gomal Zam dam will add 1.14 MAF after completion in early 2009, bringing 183,086 acres of more land under irrigation in NWFP. Annual Development Plan 2006-07, prepared by Planning Commission, hopes that water availability will increase form 137.38 million acre feet (MAF) in 2005-06 to 138.86 MAF in 2006-07.

Pakistan possesses world’s largest irrigation system commanding a total land area of 14.3 million hectares. The system is the lifeline for livelihoods of majority of Pakistan’s rural population. There are two large reservoirs - Tarbela and Mangla - while it has 23 barrages/headworks and 12 river linking canals. Some 45 distributing canals are spread over 60,800 km and serve water at farm gate with the help of 140,000 watercourses.

Irrigation and its public-sector management system, however, is currently riddled with a number of quandaries. The storage capacity of dams has decreased considerably because of continuous silting while the demand for water has increased and will rise further. Besides, a large amount of water goes waste in seepages in canals and water-courses. According to some experts, as much as two-third of the total water available is wasted because of one reason or the other.

Worse, those who it need it the most - the farmers - are believed to be the biggest wasters, using this precious resource in injudicious manner. Water theft by influential farmers is also a cause of concern. Per capita water availability in Pakistan has come down to alarming 1100 cubic meters in 2005 from 5300 cubic meters in 1950.

Nearly, a quarter of Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) comes from agriculture, highly dependent on irrigation water and hard hit by persistent shortages in recent years. These investments provided through the PSDP may prove instrumental for uplift of agriculture.

While aggregate water availability is set to increase and seepage will be checked, experts believe that modern irrigation techniques will create new employment opportunities as well. However, the amount allocated for introducing drip and sprinkle methods is smaller than what is actually required considering grave inefficiencies confronting flood irrigation.

And it is also be important to ensure the timely completion of the water projects besides guaranteeing an economical and judicious use of funds.