FAISALABAD: Pakistan’s agriculture production may face a severe setback in the years to come as the threat of water scarcity looms large.

Speakers said this at a seminar titled ‘Re-imaging cost recovery in Pakistan’s Indus basin irrigation system’ by the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) on Wednesday.

Dr Andrew Bell, a US-based research fellow, said Pakistan was having one of the largest gravity-fed irrigation systems in the world. He said Pakistan was suffering from the lack of resources and low cost recovery.

He said that surface water was more reliable, and according to a survey in Punjab, a large number of farmers considered surface water more appropriate.

He also coined the idea of developing a scalable irrigation system with the consent of farmers so that the rational usage of water can be ensured for the irrigation purpose.

The pumping of groundwater for irrigation was causing salinity in the land, he added.

UAF Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Iqrar Ahmad said glaciers were melting drastically due to climate changes and after 50 years, the country would be left with limited glaciers if tangible steps were not taken.

He said water had to be saved for the posterity. He said excessive pumping of groundwater was also exhausting the groundwater.

He said per capita water availability was only 1,000 cubic meter in Pakistan.

Prof Dr Muhammad Ashfaq also spoke.