According to a United Nations report released a few days ahead of the third water forum held in Kyoto, Japan, world water reserves are drying up fast and booming population , pollution and global warming will combine to cut the average person's water supply by a third in next 20 years.

Moreover, there was the time when the prospect of a nation-wise water storage would have seemed absurd to most Pakistanis who thought of their country as a water rich nation as it is fed by one of the mightiest rivers in the world, the Indus, and its tributaries, several of which are also major rivers.

However, now the realization has begun to dawn on the people of Pakistan that they cannot take plentiful supplies of water for granted and will have to alter their agricultural techniques and water management practices to economize on water. There are several reason to expect water shortage to grow worse in the days ahead.

These include manyfold increase in irrigated land for boosting food production to feed a growing population and fast growth in the country's urban population, requiring a large increase in water supplies. From late 1980's to mid 1990's , thousands of acres of government's land on Nara canal belt in districts Sukkur and Khairpur were distributed among the landless farming communities of the area. But, unfortunately these fertile lands alongside Nara canal are still lying uncultivated for want of irrigation water.

Reason being absence of NOC of the provincial irrigation department, which was necessary prior to allotment of the government land. As per irrigation department source total existing discharge of Nara canal is 20,000 cusec which is not sufficient for the land available on Nara canal belt. While originating from the Sukkur barrage the Nara canal passes from Talukas Rohri and Salehpat of district Sukkur and Taluka Nara of Khairpur district.

Reportedly there are only 45 water channels of the government, which irrigate lands in these two districts. But, as a matter of fact, reality on the ground is quite different.

There were hundreds of illegal lift pumps in operation on Nara canals. However these illegal pumps were removed a few years back under government instruction.

As per source so far only 60 lift pumps have been given permission to operate which is affecting the cultivation. Besides, this very limiting factor, one more factor that needs to be taken into account is electricity supply to the lift pumps of the growers.

Reportedly load is more than the availability of electricity at the grid station located at village Gagro near Salehpat. As a result frequent breakdowns is common. This very phenomenon inflicts significant damage to the cotton crop particularly at the fruiting stage.

Taking advantage of this situation Hesco officials posted at the grid station blackmail the poor growers. Having no choice they have to oblige the officials through monthly bhatta. Moreover, because of soil factor as well as unlining of water-courses water loss is more than 50 per cent in the Nara canal belt.

This is the reason the depth of irrigated land on either side of the canal is restricted only to 10 or 12 kilometer. Whereas expansion of cultivation of crops particularly orchards even with the existing supply of water is possible particularly in area beyond the present depth, with trickle system of irrigation.

As a matter of fact trickle irrigation involves frequent application of small amount of water directly to the root area of the plant. Water is applied under low pressure and the irrigation is accomplished with reduction in total water usage up to 50 per cent.

In addition, the lengthy, slow trickle provided by a drip (trickle) system has increased the yield significantly over other systems of watering and as high as 30 to 40 per cent in areas with high amount of summer rain.

With trickle irrigation only a small area immediately around each plant is wetted, leaving the remaining soil surface dry. A trickle system is an excellent way to irrigate farmyard, shelter belt, hedges, flowerbeds, home gardens and orchards. Trickle irrigation equipment can be automated to apply water during convenient period such as late night or early morning when evaporation rates are low or to supply water to several small zones or area in sequence.

Although most trickle systems are placed on the ground (as in the photograph) they can also be buried. Low flow emitters are the key to minimizing pipe size and the pressure requirement. Presently the Coastal Agriculture Research Station of Pakistan the Agriculture Research Council (PARC), Malir, is using this system of irrigation to irrigate its orchards at the research station.

Besides, a grower has also installed trickle system of irrigation at his farm at Mamon Goth in district Malir. The system is working successfully. However, despite several merits the system has failed elsewhere to gain popularity among the farming community of Sindh, probably because of high cost of its installation which is about Rs.15,000 per acre.

Recently in Taluka Faizgunj of disrtrict Khairpur , where scarcity of water is a chronic problem , introduction of strawberry cultivation may enhance the scope of trickle irrigation the system being suitable and crop being of high value.

According to the grower, who has undertaken cultivation of strawberry, one acre of this fruit will fetch Rs. 100,000 As a matter of fact after the destruction of banana crop in district Khairpur the growers of this district are in search of a crop which could fetch equal amount.

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