Growers need to break mould to survive challenges: moot

SUKKUR: The growers, especially in Indus delta, would have to review their farming practices to survive drought-like conditions, while the government was also bound to support them with policies/measures for preserving water to the benefit of agriculture sector, which is the backbone of the country.

It was the consensus of the 2nd International Conference on Water Scarcity and Sustainable Agriculture in Pakistan, organised by Department of the Geography Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU) Khairpur.

Prof Dr Noor Hassan Chandio, chairman of the Geography Department SALU, said that owing to acute shortage of the water the agricultural land was turning barren. “Water scarcity, climate change, rapid melting of glaciers, floods, soil and soil salinity, water contamination, agricultural environment, old crops pattern, agricultural economics, drainage agriculture, urban agriculture and so on are posing major problems for agriculture.”

However, Chandio said the farmers would have to apply new cropping patterns in the face of new challenges.

“I will advise them to focus on adoption of the new cropping pattern in view of geographical changes in the region,” the professor said. Engineer Abdul Basit Soomro, chairman Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority, said water scarcity hit Pakistan after the Indus Basin Treaty with India because it left the country dependent on remaining rivers including Chenab and Jhelum and the River Indus in the absence of water three rivers including Sutlej, Ravi and Bas.

“The situation even worsened after India started constructing dams and other structures on river Chenab and River Jhelum by violating the Indus Basin Treaty,” Soomro said.

Altaf Sial, an expert from Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro, said the world’s 5th largest delta (Indus) was at the brink of devastation because of the sea water intrusion, climate change, delimitation, location, and creeks. “We are losing around 52 meters of the Indus Delta land annually to seawater intrusion, while the left side of the Indus River was more vulnerable including Sajawal then Thatta,” Sial said. He said proposed construction of dykes at titled floods with bridges to secure the delta on top of restoration of 9.6 million acre feet of water from River Indus to Indus Delta as per international panel of experts.