Irrigation in Pakistan

                            Irrigation system in Pakistan 

Pakistan is a fairly dry country. The rainfall itself is not enough to support good agriculture. Fortunately, farming is saved by the wonderful system of irrigation, which is based on the River Indus and its tributaries.  Three quarters of the farmland has to be irrigated to get good crops. In the past, the rivers flooded uncontrollably when snow melted in the mountains to the north and water rushed down to the plains, destroying thousands of homes and drawing many people.

Today’s huge dams have been built across deep valleys in the north to hold back the water during flood time, and to store it in huge lakes. The water is released steadily throughout the year to provide a constant supply. Even so, at the end of the dry season, the water does begin to run low in some areas. Further downstream, smaller dams and barrages have been built to further control the water. The water released from the dams flows from the rivers into the main canals, then into smaller canals and finally into ditches between the fields. The water from the River Indus and its tribute across Punjab and Sindh according to the agricultural needs of each province. More water for irrigation is obtained from shallow wells to reach underground supplies. Often, this is brought to the surface by Persian wheels. These are clay pots fastened to a belt, which is powered by oxen walking in a circle.

Unfortunately, these shallow wells often dry up, and today, more and more use is being made of tube wells. These are narrow, very deep wells (200 meters or more) that are drilled by machinery y to reach pure water sources deep underground. This water never dries out. It is pumped to the surface by an electric pump, which is one of the reasons the government is working hard to bring electricity to all the villages.