Water Resources of Pakistan

• Candidates should locate Mangla, Tarbela, and Warsak dams on a map
• Identify two examples of barrages
• Supplies for agriculture, industry, and domestic use are obtained, maintained, controlled, and utilized
• The causes and solutions to water supply issues, including pollution, require explanation and evaluation
• The value of water as a resource for development is important to grasp
• Explain and evaluate how water supply issues can result in conflict
• Describe various irrigation types while outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each
• Types of irrigation can include canal irrigation, karez, inundation canals, perennial canals, lift irrigation, Persian wheels and tubewells
• The roles of dams, barrages, link canals, distribution canals, field channels, and bunds must be understood
• Waterlogging and salinity causes must be explained
• Damaged land must be able to be restored
• Improving agricultural practices and water management is important to prevent negative outcomes

Importance of Rivers

• Rivers add scenic beauty
• Rivers supply water to regions with low rainfall
• Rivers aid in the generation of hydroelectricity
• Rivers increase land fertility by depositing alluvium and organic matter
• Rivers provide opportunities for fishing
• Rivers are sources of water for domestic and industrial uses
• Rivers are key suppliers of water for irrigation

Uses of Water

• Domestic use includes drinking, bathing, watering gardens, food preparation, and washing
• Industrial applications include pharmaceuticals, tanning, food processing, textiles, iron and steel production, and thermal power generation
• Agricultural applications include irrigation, livestock rearing, and food for livestock

Conflicts Over Water

• Conflicts can arise between domestic, industrial, and agricultural sectors
• Conflicts can arise between regions such as Punjab and Sindh and countries such as India and Pakistan (1947-1960)

Indus Water Treaty

• Most of Pakistan experiences low and unreliable rainfall
• An increasing population necessitates more food production
• Irrigated land addresses the need for more food
• Famine and crop failure resulted from India cutting off Pakistan's water
• Indus Water Treaty included the construction of the Tarbela and Mangla Dams, construction of 5 barrages, the remodeling of existing canals and headworks, and the building of eight link canals
• The Indus Water Treaty ensures India cannot restrict Pakistan's water supply
• Pakistan possesses exclusive rights to the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers
• The treaty helps maintain agricultural production
• The Tarbela and Mangla Dams were constructed to store water
• Barrages and link canals were constructed to distribute water
• The treaty allowed to share construction costs with Western countries and India

Irrigation

• Irrigation is the artificial supply of water

Modern Irrigation Methods

• Modern methods are more efficient and faster and do not require rest
• Modern methods irrigate larger areas and deliver water deeper into the ground
• Modern Methods can be used at any time of year continuously providing a regular supply
• Modern methods require less labor and use cleaner water
• Tubewells help reduce waterlogging and salinity
• Modern methods can be expensive, making them inaccessible to poor farmers
• Modern methods have high maintenance costs
• Modern methods use fuel, electricity and diesel
• Modern methods reduce groundwater and lower the water table

Traditional Methods

• Traditional methods are cheap and accessible to poor farmers
• Traditional methods have low maintenance costs
• Traditional methods do not require fuel, electricity, or diesel
• Traditional methods do not reduce groundwater levels
• Traditional methods are less efficient and slower
• Traditional methods are more suited to smaller areas with less water
• Traditional methods do not ensure a regular supply of water
• Traditional methods require more labor
• Traditional methods use unclean water
• Traditional methods can result in waterlogging and salinity

Why Irrigation is Needed

• Pakistan often experiences insufficient annual rainfall
• Much of Pakistan's land is arid
• Monsoon season is variable in amount, timing, and distribution
• High temperatures contribute to evapotranspiration
• One-third of the country in the south has less than 10 rainy days a year
• Two-thirds of the country has less than 20 rainy days a year

Karez

• Water sinks into the ground when rainfall occurs in mountains
• A karez is an underground water tunnel or canal
• Karez systems start at the base of a mountain
• Karez systems typically run 1-2 km underground
• The length depends on the distance between the source and the command area
• Vertical shafts run throughout the length to aid cleaning and repair
• Experienced village elders select the digging site
• Trained laborers perform the digging and repair work
• A group of people often privately owns Karez
• An owner's share of water is set by the percentage share in Karez
• Karez systems dry out in areas without tubewells and due to neglect

Persian Wheel

• Persian wheel is powered by a blindfolded bullock using a wooden shaft
• The bullock turns a horizontal wooden wheel
• At the end of the shaft is a vertical wheel
• The vertical wheel is attached to a chain of pots
• The pots raise water from the well and spill their contents into a channel that leads to fields

Shaduf

• Shaduf system consists of a bucket suspended by a rope from one end of a pole
• Weight is placed at the other end of the pole
• The pole is suspended on a Y-shaped post at a well or river bank
• The bucket is dipped in by hand
• Weight aids in lifting the bucket of water
• One-tenth of a hectare can be irrigated daily

Tank Irrigation

• Tank irrigation uses tanks that can be of any size
• Mud banks are constructed across streams or slopes to collect rainwater and surface runoff
• Water is preserved for the dry season
• Tank irrigation requires a large area
• Tank irrigation leads to increased evaporation

Inundation Canals

• Inundation canals are long canals from rivers
• Inundation canals receive water when the river is high or flooding
• Inundation canals are active in the summers
• Inundation canals lack control over water supply
• Inundation canals irrigate small areas
• Inundation canals are taken from IJCRS
• Inundation canals mitigate waterlogging and salinity because the evaporation rate is higher

Diversion Canals

• Diversion canals are narrower versions of inundation canals
• Water is taken from streams through small channels on valley sides
• Diversion canals irrigate a small area
• Diversion canals are utilized when the river is full
• Diversion canals are practiced in mountainous regions

Perennial Canals

• Perennial canals supply water throughout the year
• Perennial canals are a reliable water supply
• Perennial canals can fill rainfall gaps
• Perennial canals irrigate large areas
• Perennial canals do not require fuel
• Perennial canals are cheap to use
• Perennial canals experience evaporation
• Perennial canals experience seepage if unlined
• Perennial canals have high construction costs
• Perennial Canals lead to deposition of silt
• Perennial canals lead to growth of dengue
• Extra costs are needed to treat algae growth
• Perennial canals can damage farmland by supplying too much water

Waterlogging

• Water table rises
• Water logging occurs
• Due to water evaporate
• Salinity occurs

Why Perennial Canals are Better than Inundation Canals

• Water is always available
• Water can be better controlled
• Perennial canals are reliable

Link Canals

• Link canals take water from the western rivers to the eastern rivers
• It compensates water lost to India from eastern rivers
• Chasma - Jhelum (Indus to Jhelum)
• Rasul - Qadirabad (Jhelum to Chenab)
• Qadirabad - Balloki (Chenab to Ravi)
• Balloki - Sulamanki (Ravi to Sutlej)

Tubewells

• Long metal tubes are drilled into the ground
• Water is pumped from underground aquifers
• Turbewells are used in areas without rainfall and irrigation systems
• Turbewells use motor pumps with electricity or diesel
• Water is pumped into ponds and then distributed to fields using canals and pipes or sprinklers
• Tubewells can retrieve water from 92m deep
• Tubewells can irrigate farms of more than 1000
• The top user of tubewells is Punjab
• Tubewells irrigate large areas with no labor through continuous supply
• Tubewells reduce waterlogging and salinity
• Tubewells have high installation and maintenance costs
• Turbewells are limited because there is a lack of electricity and technology for pumps
• Turbewells can deplete groundwater
• Turbewells are limited to large-scale commercial farms

Sprinkler / Spray Irrigation

• Sprinklers spray pressurized water from public pipes onto plants
• Sprinklers can range from home to industrial crops
• Sprinkler heads spray in one direction or rotate
• Sprinklers result in less water loss and can be controlled based on farmer requirements
• Sprinklers require no labor
• Sprinklers ensure equal distribution of water
• Sprinklers are more efficient and take more time
• Sprinklers need electricity and are expensive to install
• Sprinklers irrigate limited land and are limited in technology
• Sprinklers high winds can drift spray

Tankers

• Tankers collect ground or surface water
• Tankers can be used to provide water to households, fields, and plantations
• Tankers are expensive

Rivers of Pakistan

• Rivers of Pakistan include the Indus, Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Kabul

Dams

• Dams include Tarbela (Indus), Mangla (Jhelum), and Warsak (Kabul)

Small Dams

• Small dams Store water for irrigation and irrigate only local areas
• Small dams supply water for industrial and domestic use
• Small dams supply little to no electricity
• Small dams make for easier silting problem to solve
• Small dams have less initial investment
• Small dams have low maintenance costs
• Small dams require Less construction time
• Small dams are Less important for flood

Large Dams

• Large dams store water for irrigation and irrigate a vast area
• Large dams supply water for industrial and domestic use
• Large dams are major suppliers of HEP
• Large dams make for Silting problem difficult to solve
• Large dams have high initial investment
• Large dams have high Maintenance costs
• Large dams require More construction time
• Large dams are More important for flood

Advantages of Building Dams

• Dams generate hydroelectric power (HEP) and electrification
• Dams can extend the life of Tarbela and Magla Dams by reducing pressure
• Dams contribute to regional development and tourism
• Dams generate sources of employment
• Dams prevent flooding
• Dams are a source of water for irrigation

Barrages

• Barrages are large structures that control water flow and irrigate land and aid in flood control
• Barrages are not involved in electricity generation
• The construction cost is less than that of a dam
• Barrages can be made in flat areas
• Barrage size and capacity relates to river width
• Sukkur, Guddu, and Kotri sit on the River Indus
• Rasul sits on the River Jhelum
• Marala sits on the River Chenab
• Balloki sits on the River Ravi
• Sulaimanki sits on the River Sutlej

Dams vs Barrages

• Dams store water but barrages control the flow of water
• Dams produce hydroelectric power, while barrages do not
• Dams face silting problems, barrages do not
• The construction costs are higher for dams than barrages
• Dams require steep slopes during construction while barrages can be built on flat land
• Dams are less wide and higher than barrages

Waterlogging and Salinity

• Waterlogging can occur in irrigated areas
• Waterlogging occurs when the subsoil rises
• Water tables rise
• Soil becomes wet
• Water carries salts upward
• Evaporation causes salinity
• Salt patches appear, poisoning crops
• Waterlogging is caused by too much irrigation water

Problems for Farmers

• Reduces Cultivable area & Reduces yield
• Reduces Income & profit & Expensive to reclaim land

Solution

• Use of gypsum & Canal closures to control volume of water

Managing Salinity

• Planting eucalyptus trees to lower water underground
• Use of surface drains and planned closures
• Lining canals and installing tube wells
• Conducting education and training
• Implementing government schemes like SCARP and WAPDA

Water Pollution

• Causes include sewage, domestic waste, pesticides and fertilizers, industrial waste, lack of organized waste collection, ship waste and oil leakage
• Effects include undrinkable/poisonous water, treatment costs, diseases such as cholera and malaria or damage to machinery
• Solutions can include sewage, better sanitation in poor housing, proper dumping of waste, fines for polluters and ship maintenance

Siltation

• Deposition of rock, sand and silt in rivers, dams and barrages
• Causes include deforestation, destruction from mountains and unlined canals
• Effects include Blockage of canals, weakened dams, reduced reservoir capacity and less water for irrigation
• Solutions include afforestation, lined canals, silt traps, raising dam heights, reducing waste and pollution

How Water is Lost

• Seepage, evaporation, excessive runoff, theft and vegetation

Decrease in Reservoir Water

• Siltation, soil erosion, low rainfall, high evaporation and over use are reasons that reservoirs dry up

Solutions to decreasing reservoir water

• Afforestation, reforestation, lined canals, installation of silt traps, raise height of dam, and dredging (removal of silt) and reducing wastage/pollution

How to Increase Water Supply

• Rivers available
• Rainfall in monsoon
• Glaciers melt
• Using flat lands for canals
• Using small dams for extra storage during the monsoon
• Line canals should be lined
• Fresh resources shouldn't be used as dumping sites
• Stop toxic waste in ground
• Desalination of sea water
• The use of awareness

Increasing Water Supply Problems

• Not enough river water, not enough rain
• Loss by leakage, siltation & Indus treaty restricts water in reservoirs/rivers
• Evaporation because of hot climate & problems with water pollution
• Demands are always high so some places remote Baluchistan
• Problem lack of government & government will

Why User Demands are not Being Met

• Rain shortage
• Evaporation
• More dams on rivers
• Poor canal systems in need
• Siltation
• water Seepage
• People use more than they need
• Problem with water pollution
• High water demand
• Theft water
• Increase population
• Lack of investment

6 Marks Questions

• View A says building more dams and infrastructure projects is the to prevent water shortages
• View B says people should be educated about saving water
• Support view B because saving water does not cause conflict. Building of dams is a lengthy process while saving water is cheap by doing planting trees, careful monitoring, water meters and lining canals
• Small dams need low investment, technical expertise, and time to be built whereas large dams are too expensive, take too long, and need too much land to be built
• Large dams are expensive and build social issues to water distribution whereas small dams reduce these conflict. Large dams can cause HEP. However there are chances of power theft or power loss