Farmers in all parts of Pakistan are having inertia issues as a result of irrigation flow from Indian channels.

Abstract 

Farmers that receive water from India through irrigation channels worry about losing their land, and there are ongoing issues related to the large amounts of water that are distributed, stored, and simulated in conjunction with the economic downturn, business losses, and crop damage and animal deaths.Given that it contributes 20% of the province's GDP and employs more than 50% of its workforce, irrigated agriculture is a key factor in determining the potential for economic growth. In Punjab, farmlands watered by one of the biggest continuous irrigation systems in the world account for more than 50% of the agricultural output. The enormous irrigation conveyance network provides cultivation intensities between 120 and 150 percent over a cultivable command area of 21.71 million acres (8.79 million hectares).In semi-arid environments, effective conjunctive use can prevent soil salinization and waterlog caused by excessive recharge from irrigation return flows or other sources. Groundwater is an underutilized resource that is often used to maintain environmental conditions. Groundwater should always be considered as an alternative or additional resource when coming up with a solution to a water resource problem. Because of their high inertia, the reservoirs varied in volume over many years of observation. Irrigated agriculture is crucial to Pakistan's socioeconomic development and is therefore a vital component of the country's sustained economic growth. Aiming to increase agricultural output with an emphasis on broad-based institutional changes, the Punjab Irrigation Department has a long-term goal for the irrigation sector that includes providing enough, equitable, and reliable irrigation supplies to the cultivable lands of Punjab.

Keywords: Pakistan's water resources, Domestic sewage, Radical Water Politics

Introductions

Climate change has an impact on Pakistan's water resources since it alters glacier behavior, rainfall patterns, greenhouse gas emissions, and the frequency of extreme events like floods and droughts. In 1950, 1956, 1957, 1973, 1976, 1978, 1988, 1992, 2010, 2011, and 2012, there were significant floods. Pakistan endured its worst droughts on record between 1998 and 2004. Pakistan has an underground water reserve of 56 MAF and a surface water potential of 140 MAF. Due to high fuel prices, Pakistani farmers have experienced issues with high local grocers, such as food and milk vegetables, as well as dying animals like cows, buffalos, goats, et cetera, and transportation issues, etc. An in-depth analysis of Pakistan's water resource concerns is provided by scientific studies of all grey literature and media programs. This literature focuses on the effectiveness of institutions for water management both inside and outside of a decades-long process of participatory irrigation reform, as well as the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS), which is responsible for more than 90% of Pakistan's available surface water withdrawals (World Bank, 2019, pp. 69, 70). Writing that Pakistan's water supply is "on empty" (Altaf) or "dry" (Briscoe & Qamar, 2005) (e.g., Asrar-Ulhaq, 2010; Ghumman et al., 2011).IBIS in Pakistan allocates an annual recharge of about 200 cm (billion cubic meters) of surface flow from snow and glacier melt, an additional 50 cm of rainfall, and groundwater usage of about 50–60 cm; these volumes of water are distributed across three major reservoirs, 19 barrages, 43 canal commands, and a wealth of shallow aquifers radiating from existing, leaking canals (Basharat, 2019). Storage in reservoirs totals just under 18 cm, or around 1,000 m3 or 30 days of storage per person, or a small portion of yearly surface water flows (Basharat, 2019).43.1 million of India's 67.3 million net hectares of irrigated land was watered by groundwater in 2015–16. (GOI Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare 2020). Due to the fact that groundwater irrigation rapidly increased starting in the middle of the 1970s and is credited with India's Green Revolution's success, the country is unable to regulate its water flow. Population in South Asia is growing at an ever-increasing rate, making food security, climate change, and capital-intensive agro agricultural techniques the region's dominant problems.

Indian and Pakistani Historical Reminiscences

The Indo-Pakistan conflict has been referred to as an ongoing rivalry due to the severity of clashes over a protracted period of time (Paul, 2006). There is a significant body of literature on the history and current state of the India-Pakistan conflict (Ganguly, 2002).Levels of distrust, unresolved difficulties, and ongoing crises plague the relations between Pakistan and India (Yousuf, 2021). Tensions between the two neighbors have remained high since Pakistan and India were split on August 15, 1947. A number of battles involving territorial disputes have been fought between India and Pakistan since 1947. The 1947 war, the 1965 war, and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War were the three main confrontations between the two nations. The year 1999 also saw border clashes and an unofficial Kargil conflict (Sil, 2009).

Recurrent droughts and inadequate water resource management have over time reduced Kandahar's agricultural productivity. Droughts over the past 20 years have compelled farmers to spend thousands of dollars and deplete underground water supplies by forcing them to drill deeper wells in an effort to find valuable water to irrigate their fields and orchards. According to one farmer, Esmatullah, only those who had saved sizable sums of money from selling their produce in past years could afford to invest in drilling deeper wells.

Pakistan Explains the Change.

1. Domestic sewage with little to no contamination from industrial or commercial wastewater is the main focus here.

2. While 2 million tonnes of urban garbage are created annually, only 1% of it is cleaned before being dumped directly into rivers and drains, with an estimated 50% of it ending up in the water (Pakistan EPA 2005.).

3. Values are calculated using Pakistani Rupees (PKRS), using a translation rate of $1 US = 60.6 PKRS at the time of the survey (July 2006). All values are reported in US dollars throughout the entire manuscript.

International Elements

The trilateral Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which was signed in 1960 by India, Pakistan, and the World Bank, was the result of lengthy negotiations that lasted eight years. IWT put forth a proposal to settle the two countries' water conflict (Lyre, 2002). India received sole control over the eastern rivers under the terms of the agreement, while Pakistan received control over three western rivers.

Between the two unruly neighbours, the pact survived three wars and numerous smaller disputes, and it is typically cited as the successful example of a water treaty in the Annals of Social Sciences and Perspective (Abbasi, 2011). However, the water problem continues to be a point of contention between the two nations. Let's go over each one individually.

Basin's Agrarian Economy

The basin's agrarian economy depends heavily on irrigation. Up to 21% of Pakistan's GDP is contributed by the country's greatest infrastructure project, the Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS). The majority of Pakistan's meat, milk, vegetables, fruits, small grains, rice, sugarcane, cotton, vegetables, small grains, vegetables, and fruits, as well as fuelwood, come from irrigated agriculture. Under British administration, irrigation in Punjab and Sindh was expanded (Mustafa, 2010). Along the Indus and Sutlej rivers, the most successful development strategies emerged, and each province built irrigation canals and supporting infrastructure along these rivers.Punjab was split between India's East Punjab and Pakistan's West Punjab as a result of partition in 1947. This division also affected the irrigation of the province, which was controlled by headworks in India's upstream region and dependent canals in Pakistan's downstream region. Due to Pakistan's geographical location and the unfair and prejudiced partition plan, the Indus river basin was left as the "sole water option" to meet the needs of the entire nation. In contrast, India has a number of other river systems, including the Cauvery River and the Ganges-Jumna system. Second, irrigation-based agriculture in the Punjab and Sindh, which is directly dependent on the Indus river basin, is a major contributor to Pakistan's agricultural outputs (the country's main source of income).

Wasteful Irrigation Water Management

As waterways are ineffective means of irrigation and lose nearly half of the water through transit such as evaporation, leakage, seepage, and bad infrastructure, the "overall irrigation efficiency" has the potential to be enhanced up to 55% in a similar system, which is now 41.5 %. (Qureshi, 2011).

Impact of Groundwater Extraction on Livelihood

According to estimates, India has installed an average of 12 to 14 tube wells on every 2.5 acres, while Pakistan has 3 to 5 tube wells operating on a similar area of agricultural land. There are roughly one million tube wells in total, of which 13% use electricity and 87% use diesel to power their operations (Qureshi, 2011).

Radical Water Politics and a Lack of Storage

Pakistan is blaming India for the prolonged, catastrophic water and electricity crises that the majority of Pakistanis have been experiencing for more than ten years. After the Tarbella Dam was put into full operation in 1976, no significant dam has been constructed on the "Indus Main" since. According to Muhammad Raqeeb Khan, the former head of IRSA, Pakistan only stores 13% of the Indus River's total flow (145 million acre-feet), or enough water to last 30 days. which is incredibly little as compared to Egypt's 1,000 days, 120–220 days of storage capacity, and 900 days of storage capacity in the US, Egypt, and India. Pakistan has a per-person water storage capacity of 144 m3, which is just marginally more than Ethiopia, which has a similar water storage capacity but fewer resources. 2015 (Hussain)

Changes in the Climate and Atmosphere

As a result of diminishing precipitation and rising evaporation in some regions, which have caused the usual climate patterns to be irregular, global warming would operate as a catalyst for water-conflict scenarios. Intense human suffering brought on by unpredictable floods or droughts would put even more pressure on governments to cut off the water supply to their neighboring states. Due to climatic and sociological changes, the discussion and circumstances surrounding collaboration over the Himalayan Rivers have changed.

Conclusion

addressing the energy situation, getting exports back on track, and using trade as a development engine internationally. Basic, secondary, and higher education are at the forefront. The nation's import bill has increased due to rising commodity prices and a huge fiscal deficit, placing the nation in danger of experiencing a balance of payments crisis. In order to lessen the water shortages inside its borders, both nations must make honest and diligent efforts to find better ways to deliver an adequate quantity of water with state-of-the-art storage facilities. Indian nationalists have made it fashionable to dress in this style in their political campaigns, despite the fact that India needs to avoid inciting anti-Pakistan feelings. Their inability to address water issues in their appropriate context must be taken seriously. On a serious note, take the legitimate worries about Pakistan into consideration. However, rather than blaming India, Pakistan needs to properly address its domestic issues and resolve its reliance with its various provinces.

Recommendation

1.     To inform the public about how to save fresh drinking water and how to reduce its domestic losses, educational institutions, electronic and print media, and public awareness campaigns might be useful.

2.     For the betterment of the nation, Pakistan must make controversial and risky decisions. Pakistan's sole remaining option to address the current crisis is to build mega-dams, although doing so would present significant political and economic challenges. Unbreakable political will would therefore be needed to complete this endeavor.

3.     Pakistan must ensure that all water storage projects are completed on time as delays drive up the initial cost significantly, as shown with the Bhasha dam, which has a yearly cost of Rs. 132 billion.

4.     When lands are exploited and people are relocated to make way for dam building, the Pakistani government must promptly and fairly compensate the affected parties. Government must draw lessons from the earlier instances of the Marbella and Mangla dams, where many of the victims have not been adequately compensated even after many decades.

5.     Through media awareness efforts and fieldwork, the government must gradually discourage and reduce the growing of crops that require more water.

6.     To ensure a fair distribution of water throughout the nation and among the provinces, the government must put an end to water corruption and establish tough laws that must be followed. Numerous reports claim that wealthy elites are receiving a greater part of the water for their agricultural lands while poor farmers are denied their proper share.

7.     The government may conserve more water by increasing "the total irrigation proficiency," which is currently 41.5% and can be raised to up to 55percentage points in a similar system, according to experts.

8.     Climate change and environmental concerns are post-Treaty developments, hence IWT needs updating and modification to tackle these more modern problems.

References

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Mubeen, M., Rasul, F., Ahmad, A., Wajid, S. A., Khaliq, T., Hammad, H. M., ... & Nasim, W. (2022). Climate Change-Induced Irrigation Water Problems and Resolution Strategies: A Case Study. In Building Climate Resilience in Agriculture (pp. 179-194). Springer, Cham.

 Khan, R., Muzaffar, M., & Mustafa, G. (2022). Pakistan-India Water Conflict: A Causal Analysis. Annals of Social Sciences and Perspective, 3(1), 43-51.