Depleting Groundwater Threatens Soil's Fertility, Food Security

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Apr, 2023 ) :By Aatif Ismail Amidst multiple economic challenges, the nation is also facing the enormous challenge of depleting surface and groundwater resource with per capita water availability level touching the stress levels.

Most challenging is the depleting groundwater level posing threat to soil's fertility, agriculture, food security, ecological system as its depletion increases salt concentration in soil leading to adverse effects on agriculture and human health.

With every day increasing water demand, there is dire need for sagacious use of water as mounting pressure on our available resource would make situation more crucial during days ahead.

Being an Agrarian country, 90% of our available water resource is used for the agriculture sector with remaining ten percent utilized to meet human, industrial and other usages.

According to a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF-2021), Pakistan's annual per capita water availability is 1017 cubic meter. However, it was 5110 cubic meter in 1951 and as the downward trend still goes on, sooner Pakistan would be reckoned among the water scares countries.

"In our country, the agriculture sector is pumping average 60% water for irrigation, depending on demand of various crops", said Professor Dr Tanveer Ahmed, Head of Department of Soil and Environmental Sciences, Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Multan.

"Depleting groundwater is likely to create food insecurity in coming years by affecting the soil's fertility. Concentration of salt is increasing due to continuous process of downing of the water-table," Dr Tanveer warned.

Salty soil affects production up to 70% and since there is already 45% salinity in some irrigation areas of the country, controlling this phenomenon has become imperative to avert its harmful effects, Dr Tanveer said. "If we fail to cope with this challenge, the depleting phenomenon would continue to add to salinity level also making drinkable water injurious to human health." About groundwater table, he observed that it varied at scattered places, ranging from 50 to 80 feet in different areas of South Punjab. Similarly, the depleting ground water was also damaging the ecological system that may result in vanishing of natural grass in coming years. "With downing water table, it would become harder for the plant roots to get sufficient ground water naturally and this phenomenon will lead to bad effects on ecosystem." He mentioned to different causes of groundwater depletion like massive water seepage through muddy banks of canals and other water courses and water wastage in our daily use like vehicles washing, lack of drip irrigation, careless industrial usage of water absence of a holistic rainwater harvesting mechanism in the country.

Similarly, he also drew attention towards insufficient water storages and reservoirs saying that rain water harvesting could be a valuable panacea to water scarcity issues. "If big dams cost much, we can avail the alterative of small dams and ponds especially at newly built housing societies and settlements According to a boring plumber Muhammad Ayub, the water table went down about 15 feet during last decade. "For example, if earlier we could find water under the soil up to 50 feet now it is over 70 feet. In some areas, it is even over 100 feet down the earth.

Perplexed from depleting surface water, Malik Ahmed Nawaz, a farmer in Vehari said "depleting ground water increases electricity bills and fuel cost as farmers have to pump out more water to irrigate their lands." "This situation also has multiplying effects with increasing cost of production on one side and depleting groundwater resource and reducing land fertility level on the other," Ahmed Nawaz remarked.

He said since the canal water is not available throughout the year, the farmers have to go for alternates that result in depletion of groundwater. "Therefore, the government needs to evolve a comprehensive strategy to conserve available resource and add to it further through construction of reservoirs." He also pleaded to introduce drip irrigation and sprinkling to save water and solar systems for effective use of water and reduce production cost. "Majority of famers have two to three acres and there is dire need to educate them about effective water usage to lessen production cost." Another expert on soil sciences Assistant Professor Shakeel stated that groundwater should be available at 40 feet to help maintain soil fertility and improve agricultural productivity. "We can promote ponds culture at most of localities to store rain water for groundwater recharging." Sajjad Ahmed, another farmer also came up with an idea of making ponds as he is already using this mechanism at his fields. "I have dug an 80 feet long, 40 feet wide and 18 feet Deep pond at my field to store extra water which I pump out to irrigate my land when required.

Commenting on the situation, Assistant Director Agriculture Abdul Samad stated that the Punjab government was offering subsidies on land laser levelers, drip irrigation and sprinkler systems. All these measures are aimed at effective utilization of water.

In this situation, it is direly needed that the government introduces a comprehensive strategy and water metering system for prudent use of water and to avert future water and food crisis.