HYDERABAD, Aug 16: Agriculture experts have recommended improvement in development and management of water for agriculture.

They said that the government could meet the growing demand for food, alleviation of poverty and economic growth by developing sustainable water resources.

They were speaking at a seminar on “efficient use of land and water for poverty alleviation” on Wednesday.

The seminar was organised by the department of irrigation and drainage of the Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Bashir Shaikh presided over the seminar.

The purpose of the seminar was to promote integrated management for sustainable use of land and water and to develop more applied knowledge, policy instruments, national capacities and technologies.

The information about latest development would assist in developing more efficient and sustainable management of land resources for alleviating poverty, improved productivity with minimal cost and efficient use and management of scarce water resources.

The vice-chancellor said that agricultural development based on water conservation and irrigation was often considered a promising avenue for poverty alleviation in rural areas.

He said that the poverty eradication was one of the top policy agenda of the government with a strategy at the national level to facilitate all farmers to have sufficient ownership of land in order to increase long-term agricultural productivity.

He said that the policy was aimed at maximising the utilisation of land along side the improvement of soil quality.

Mr Shaikh said that the government was also committed to increasing efficiency of water resources management and allocating water in accordance with demand of farmer’s production system.

He said that the SAU had taken positive measures to guide farmers to adopt methods of efficient use of land and water for irrigation for poverty alleviation.

Former SAU vice-chancellor Dr Bashir Chandio said that there had been rapid advances around the world in the use of saline water for irrigation including development of irrigation systems, improved water management and control of salinity within the root zone.

The seminar recommended balanced use and development of water with available water resources.

It called for preservation of water quality in order to achieve sustainable patterns of water use through integrated approaches linking water management with the conservations and sustenance of ecosystems and to maintain the integrity of land and water systems upon which agricultural production depends.

It also recommended to enhance cooperation and partnership of stakeholders in all aspects of agricultural water use, development and management to increase access to water resources, to improve the productivity of rain fed and irrigated farming system and to equitably share benefits and risks.

A large number of farmers attended the seminar.

Dr Suleman Memon, Dr Ghulam Hussain Soomro, Dr Umaid Ali Buriro and Dr Saleh Soomro also spoke on the occasion.

SSC-II: The controller of examinations, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Hyderabad, here on Wednesday announced the schedule of SSC part-II (class-X) supplementary examinations 2006.

According to schedule, the last date for accepting examination forms has been fixed as September 5.

Date for qualifying additional subject of biology after having passed computer science in class-X in the annual examination 2006 has been fixed as August 21. The examinations will commence on September 26 while technical examinations will be held on October 3.