HYDERABAD, Dec 24: Sindh Agriculture University Vice-Chancellor Dr. Bashir Ahmed Shaikh has said that 85 per cent subsoil water in Sindh has become brackish and the LBOD has only added to water-logging and salinity in soil rendering it uncultivable over time.

Speaking at the concluding session of a 30-day training programme organised by the university’s Department of Irrigation on "Better use of water and soil to eliminate poverty" at the university campus on Sunday, Dr. Shaikh said that there were 1,500 to 2,500 plants in South India, which had played a pivotal role in eliminating salinity. The plants were also used as fodder for animals, he said.

The four-fold problem of water shortage, water-logging, salinity and wastage of water had badly affected crops in the province by 40 to 50 per cent, he said.

The director of university’s training programme Hussain Bux Bhutto said that soil deterioration had caused a drop in per acre yield of wheat in Pakistan to 17 maunds per acre while in America per care yield stood at 70 maunds.

Sindh Minister for Excise and Taxation Shabbir Ahmed Kaimkhani who was chief guest suggested construction of small dams for the conservation of water and judicious distribution of irrigation water to solve the problem of water shortage.

He said that shortage of water had caused water-logging and salinity and stressed on training growers to combat the menace.

SCA: Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) Senior Vice-President Mir Murad Ali Khan Talpur demanded on Sunday that the government should bring black-marketing of DAP fertiliser under control and ensure that the sunflower seed was distributed among all the growers affected by heavy rains.