Water Management On Farms
The main limiting factor for increasing agricultural production is the insufficient availability of irrigation water on the farm. The situation is further aggravated by the unreliability and inequity of the water supply. The primary and secondary canals of the Indus Basin irrigation system are taken care of by the Provincial Department of Irrigation, while the construction of the tertiary canals (commonly called watercourses) as well as their operation and maintenance is the sole responsibility of the farmers. Due to a lack of knowledge and insufficient financial resources, these centuries-old rivers have deteriorated, leading to excessive conveyance losses of the order of more than 50%. Although penalties are provided under the Canals and Drainage Act 1863 to ensure proper maintenance of waterways by farmers, they are rarely enforced.
A variety of research has been carried out to study the
magnitude of conveyance losses in watercourses and to develop new water
management techniques to minimize these losses. The results of the research
studies conducted revealed that the transport losses through the rivers range
from 46% to 56%. Field application losses were also studied and found to vary
from 20% to 30% in all irrigated areas of Pakistan.
Realizing the huge transmission and application losses in
the irrigation system at the farm level, the government started a five-year
pilot project called On Farm Water Management (OFWM) in the country in 1976-77
with l assistance from US-AID. The pilot project was successfully completed in
June 1981. Following the success of the pilot project, a number of SCARP,
drainage, irrigation, and agriculture projects were started in the country with
OFWM as a mandatory component.
Functions:
- Organization and registration of water users association under the Farm Water Users Association and Management Ordinance 1981 for the promotion of watercourse improvement and other water management activities in the district
- Preparation and implementation of district water management development plans
- Stream improvement, precision land grading, agronomic irrigation practices, groundwater management, and implementation of HEIS in the district
- Rental of agricultural machinery at approved rates
- District Executive Service Questions
- Maintenance of government buildings
- Purchase of stores and capital goods
- Feedback to the Provincial Department of Agriculture on all matters mentioned above as instructed from time to time
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