Net Gains from Conjunctive Use of Surface and Ground Water

Pakistan is fortunate enough because its soils, topography and climate are generally suitable for farming but its agriculture sector faces the problem of scarcity of the irrigation water. This paucity of irrigation supplies has forced the farmers to use the ground water to augment their surface supplies. The quality of ground water in Pakistan varies from fit for irrigation to moderately saline to sodic. Thus the tubewell owners in the marginal quality ground water areas are bound to use the tubewell water in conjunction with the surface water on their farms. Currently the farmers are using about 65.75 BCM of ground water in Pakistan [Halcrow (2002)]. The international literature is filled with the studies on conjunctive water management and its impact on crop productivity and related issues [Gangwar and Toorn (1987); Bredehoeft and Young (1983); Gorelick (1988); Lingen (1988); O’Mara (1988); Shah (1988); Brewer and Sharma (2000); Datta and Dayal (2000); Raju and Brewer (2000); Sakhtivadivel and Chawala (2002) and Chaudhary and Shah (2003)]. In Pakistan, the review of literature shows that all of the previous studies conducted in the arena of water management reported the management problems leading to the inefficiencies in irrigation application and reduction in crop productivity, [Kijne and Velde (1991); Mustafa (1991) and Siddiq (1994)]. Few of the studies took into consideration the impact of waterlogging and salinity on productivity at farm level [Meyer, et al. (1996); Prathaper, et al. (1997) and O’Connell and Khan (1999)]. None of these studies have taken into consideration the trade-offs between gross farm income, ground water and salinity at irrigation subdivision level. To answer the issues of spatial differences in the trade offs between gross farm income, ground water and salinity at irrigation Subdivision level, this paper presents the results of the optimisation modeling at the Subdivisional level

India’s water future to 2025-2050: Business-as-usual scenario and deviations

Poverty / Mapping/ Water demand / Water supply / Population growth / Crop production / Crop yield / Groundwater irrigation / Food security

Shifting waterscapes: explaining basin closure in the Lower Krishna Basin, South India

River basins / Ecosystems / Protective irrigation / Irrigation programs / Water transfer / Water distribution / Water allocation / Groundwater depletion / Aquifers / Water scarcity / Water use / Drought / India / Lower Krishna Basin / Godavari Basin / Nagarjuna Sagar Project / Kolleru Lake

A review of management strategies for salt-prone land and water resources in Iran

Water resource management/ Land management/ Leaching/ Drainage/ Sodic soils/ Soil reclamation/ Supplemental irrigation/ Irrigation programs

Net Gains from Conjunctive Use of Surface and Ground Water

Pakistan is fortunate enough because its soils, topography and climate are generally suitable for farming but its agriculture sector faces the problem of scarcity of the irrigation water. This paucity of irrigation supplies has forced the farmers to use the ground water to augment their surface supplies. The quality of ground water in Pakistan varies from fit for irrigation to moderately saline to sodic. Thus the tubewell owners in the marginal quality ground water areas are bound to use the tubewell water in conjunction with the surface water on their farms. Currently the farmers are using about 65.75 BCM of ground water in Pakistan [Halcrow (2002)]. The international literature is filled with the studies on conjunctive water management and its impact on crop productivity and related issues [Gangwar and Toorn (1987); Bredehoeft and Young (1983); Gorelick (1988); Lingen (1988); O’Mara (1988); Shah (1988); Brewer and Sharma (2000); Datta and Dayal (2000); Raju and Brewer (2000); Sakhtivadivel and Chawala (2002) and Chaudhary and Shah (2003)]. In Pakistan, the review of literature shows that all of the previous studies conducted in the arena of water management reported the management problems leading to the inefficiencies in irrigation application and reduction in crop productivity, [Kijne and Velde (1991); Mustafa (1991) and Siddiq (1994)]. Few of the studies took into consideration the impact of waterlogging and salinity on productivity at farm level [Meyer, et al. (1996); Prathaper, et al. (1997) and O’Connell and Khan (1999)]. None of these studies have taken into consideration the trade-offs between gross farm income, ground water and salinity at irrigation subdivision level

Institutional reforms at main canal level and their water allocation and yield impacts : A case from South Ferghana Canal, Uzbekistan

Institutional development / Organizational change / Water users associations / Irrigation management / Canals / Water allocation / Water distribution / Irrigated farming / Cotton / Wheat / Yields / Uzbekistan / South Ferghana Canal

Water productivity of irrigted agriculture in India: potential areas for improvement

Water productivityIrrigated farmingWater use efficiencyWheatCottonRiver basinsWater conservation

Closing of the Krishna Basin: irrigation, streamflow depletion and macroscale hydrology

River basins / Physical geography / Climate / Stream flow / Hydrology / Rainfall runoff relationships / Evapotranspiration / Irrigation programs / Water allocation / Water transfer / Environmental effects / Water quality / India / Krishna River / Andhra Pradesh / Maharashtra / Karnataka

An irrigated area map of the world (1999) derived from remote sensing

Remote sensing / Mapping / GIS / Irrigated sites / Estimation