Water Resource Management in Sindh: Fundamental Problems and Policy Guideline

Abstract

Having greater potential to produce food and fiber for its growing population, the Sindh province of Pakistan is facing dual crises in its water sector such as; declining water resources for irrigation which creates drought situation since 2000-2001 and the super floods in the year 2010 and 2011 in both northern and southern regions. About 89% of cropped area in the province is irrigated through canal system, the infrastructure damage and deprivation of cultivable land with standing water caused by these floods mainly due to institutional mismanagement has resulted in multi billion rupees loss to the agricultural sector with a significant decline in its growth. On the other hand, an inadequacy in the supply of irrigation water and its inefficient use forms a bottleneck on achievement of the desired results from complementary inputs.
The paper aims to sort out fundamental problems in managing the irrigation water in the province, and to formulate a policy guideline for batter use of the natural resources in the agricultural economy of Sindh. The study explores the significance of a largely mismanaged canal irrigation system of the province and suggests modern tools and methods of managing the available resources. It also recommends some alternative water conservation strategies such as; use of under table water through tube wells, storage of rain water through construction of small dames and lining of natural ponds in arid zones of the province. These measures can lead to overcome the supply and demand side issues to some extent, necessary for sustainability of the process of agric-development in the region.