LAHORE, Sept 17: Punjab Irrigation Secretary Javed Majeed on Wednesday told the Punjab Development Forum that water sector topped the provincial and federal governments’ lists of priorities because of its huge potential for development and investment.

He said that Pakistan had a huge irrigation network, but its storage capacity was highly inadequate at 12 million acre feet as against flood supplies of 50maf. It is 100 years old and its aging structures are inadequate in the face of growing needs. It requires urgent improvement, modernization and development. The system was designed for 67 per cent irrigation intensity, which had now become 122 per cent.

The government wants to provide adequate, equitable and sustained irrigation of land in Punjab without harming its productivity, thus ensuring food security in the province and meeting food deficit in other provinces. Therefore, the department is advocating urgent construction of reservoirs and development and lining of canals. It is also stressing laser-levelling, bed-planting, zero tillage, drip irrigation and study crop zone.

The department has prepared a Rs29 billion plan for rehabilitation and modernization of barrages. The source of funding is the federal government and the Public Sector Development Programme. At present, the plan lies with the federal government for approval of ECNEC. Under the plan, six barrages, Jinnah, Taunsa, Khanki, Balloki, Sulemanki and Islam, would be rehabilitated.

Punjab’s ground water aquifer went down by 10 to 30 feet during the last three years of drought, largely because of 600,000 tubewells that pump out 35maf water every year, while the recharge is limited to 15maf. This poses a threat.