Muhammad Akram Kahlown

Desertification Control for Sustainable Land Use in the Cholistan Desert, Pakistan

The area of Cholistan Desert is 2.6 million ha. The desert measures 480 km in length and between 32 and 192 km in breadth. Human and livestock population in the desert is 0.1 and 2.0 million, respectively. There is no river or canal flowing through the desert area, which has a hyper-arid climate. The main land use in the area is livestock rearing. Agricultural farming is not practiced due to unavailability of irrigation water and low rainfall. More than 81% of the desert is under small and big sand dunes, while 19% consists of alluvial flats and sand hummocks. The area is affected by severe to very severe desertification due to poor vegetation cover, severe wind erosion and very severe soil salinity. The grazing of livestock is uncontrolled, so, the pastures are overgrazed. The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has converted the severe desertified land into productive land as a model on more than 100 ha at Dingarh Cholistan through sand dune fixation and stabilization by mechanical and vegetative means. Although once desertified, the area is now under forest trees, orchard of grafted zizyphus and date palm, fodder crops and grassland grown with collected rainwater and saline groundwater. Now the area is fully secured from desertification and its micro-climate has been transformed into pleasant and friendly environment.

Factors affecting success and failure of trickle irrigation systems in Balochistan, Pakistan

An evaluation of performance of trickle irrigation systems installed in Balochistan, Pakistan during 1982–2002 was conducted by field surveys, physical verifications and interviews with farmers. Thirty systems were fully or partially operational and 76 had been abandoned. Successful systems required clean and reliable water supply, availability of spare components and accessories for replacements, skilled manpower, and a high level of interest and participation by the owner. The dominant species irrigated with these trickle systems were apples, grapes, and mixed orchards. Installations of trickle systems on old mature orchards were not generally successful due to lack of adaptation of the new system to limited and scheduled irrigation supplies. Many of the irrigators were not instructed on how to adjust the trickle system to meet changing needs of the plants. Consequently, growth of some of the trees was stunted and a few of them died. Lack of technical skill to repair and maintain the system and non-availability of replacement parts were general causes of failure of installed trickle irrigation systems. Clogging of the emitters was the primary specific cause of failure. Emitters with a larger opening that will not be clogged by most of the contaminants contained in the water available to these farmers and turbulent action screening systems to take out the other contaminants are proposed as solutions to this problem. Commercial shops, which sell the components, carry replacement parts and provide after-sales service are needed to keep trickle systems functioning in these isolated areas.