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M. H. Panhwar
The water logging and salinity problem is highly complex, when it comes to actual execution in the field. In general the main factors involved in water logging and salinity control need highly to chronological efforts for the success of programme.
Salinity.
The river Indus water contain 150 to 250 parts per million (ppm) parts of salts at different times of the year. If annual irrigation dose of water with 150 ppm amounts to a column of 60 inches or 5 feet or about 1.5 meters, salts built up will be 3,260 cubic feet per acre in the top 3-4 feet of soil. These salts will make the land totally unproductive within 3-4 years, unless they are removed.
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feet deep and it may take as much as 50-100 years to make it unusable. As could be seen from above, adding of salts to ground water by irrigation water raises salt content of ground water and also raises the water table. Applying 5 feet of water column a year as irrigation, will add 37% or 1.85 feet of water column to the soil. The porosity of sand lying below the top alluvium is about 33.3%. This means that water column or water table will rise by (1.85% 100 + 33.3) or 5.5 feet in each year. This is how our sills get water logged. Once the ground water tale is within 8 feet, water rises by capillary action and evaporates leaving salts contained in it at the surface. These are to be leached down by irrigation during the next year. The process is thus continued year after year. Capillary rise of water however is also beneficial in another way. In some areas large quantities of water evaporate and water table goes down. It is to every body knowledge that in rice areas water table reaches the surface latest on 1st October when irrigation is cut off. By the end of May, in the following year, it goes down to 8 feet. This makes next rice crop a possibility. There are other areas where ground water is saline and when water table due to irrigation rises and comes close to the surface, large quantity of salts are left at the surface by evaporation. The salts accumulation makes cropping of the area un-economical due to low yields on account of high salinity and lack of aeration of the root zone.
Solution to problem.
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n Now coming to the solution we see that irrigation is necessary to raise crops and application of excess water to keep salt down is equally necessary. We thus see that rising of water table is unavoidable and we therefore have to find solutions. n The solution is called field drainage. Field drainage. The field drainage falls into three categories: a) Drainage of areas having fresh ground water underneath. b) Drainage of areas having saline ground water underneath. c) Drainage of surface water, especially rain water or Pancho water of rice fields by surface drains.
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Role of NGOs.
n For drainage of lands by tiles Government has installed tile drains in Khairpur District but now the thinking is that private farmer should perform this task. The Government may agree to this policy. This is the field in which NGO have a role to play. n For surface drainage field drains have to be constructed by all the farmers in their fields, but minor branch and main drains will be constructed by the Government. n NGO will be required work in the capacity of technical and non technical organisations.
Technical NGOs.
The technical NGOs will design the tile drains give the exact level below the ground at which tile drains are laid and also give the accurate slopes, diameter of the tile pipes and all other aspects connected with functioning of tile drains. This is a specialised job in which specialised engineering consulting firms could be employed. Engineering consultants would be needed to supervise the operation and the farmer will pay the amount, part in advance and part in instalments.
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