Improper water management leading critical issues including food security: Dr. Altaf
Dean, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Sindh Agriculture University Dr. Altaf Ali Siyal has said that water was the biggest issue of the future and improper water management can lead to various problems including food security in the country. He said that effective irrigation systems would not only help to achieve better cultivation but also avoid water loss and overwatering in agriculture fields.
He said this while giving his opinion during the Ph.D. seminar on “Enhancing the irrigation and fertilizer use Efficiency of furrow irrigation method,” presented by Rahim Bux Vistro, a scholar of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering.
Dr. Altaf Siyal said that improper water management issues could be dealt with its effective utilization. The researchers need to promote research on sustainable agriculture with less water and water-saving technologies and on better water management, he emphasized.
Rahim Bux Vistro, a PhD scholar said that Pakistan’s population was increasing rapidly, resulting in enhancing demand for food, rice and flour with each passing day, whole wheat coping with scarcity and adequate crop production can be achieved through proper use of water.
The Dean of Faculty of Social Sciences Dr. Aijaz Ali Khooharo, Dr. Mashooq Ali Talpar, Dr. Irfan Ahmed Sheikh, Dr. Munir Ahmed Mangrio also spoke on this occasion. The event was attended by a large number of teachers and students, including Dr. Abdul Mubeen Lodhi, Dr. Siraj Siyal, who were also present.
Pakistan’s water crisis is explained mainly by rapid population growth followed by climate change (floods and droughts), poor agricultural sector water management, inefficient infrastructure and water pollution. This in a result is also aggravating internal tensions between provinces.
Climate Change: Pakistan gets its water from rainfall and rivers as well as snow and glaciers melting. Because the rain is seasonal and 92 percent of the country is semi-arid, Pakistan is dependent on the rain for its water supply.
Originally published at Pakistan Observer