Impact of water policy on socio-economic development in Pakistan | |
| Author | Majeed, Rashida |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.WM-04-24 |
| Subject(s) | Water resources development--Pakistan Economics--Pakistan--Sociological aspects |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Agriculture sector in Pakistan contributes 24% to the GDP per annum. Irrigation is essential for agriculture because of an arid climate. The water resources development policies contributed in intensification of water use and resulted in environmental degradation. The overall objective of this study was to evaluate impacts of past water policies on socio-economic development in Pakistan and to analyze policy shifts based on the assessed impacts. The study was conducted based on the historical data (1947-04) collected at the three geographical scales national, Punjab province and Rechna Doab. Three policy eras were characterized for the analysis: transitional and consolidation era (1947-60); water development era (1960-80); and water management era (1980-04). Three impact domains were formulated: water development and management; food security and agricultural economy; and socio-economic development. The study revealed that the water development policies of the second policy era contributed in increased surface water supplies which have positive impacts in terms of increased irrigated area at the national, Punjab and to some extent at the Rechna Doab levels. Similar trend was observed for groundwater utilization which currently contributes about 50% of the total water supply at the farm level. The increase in water supply however has not contributed to increased water availability per unit area due to expansion of irrigated area. The impacts of water development resulted in orientation in policy from development to management of the water resource with increased participation of water users. The main conclusion of the study is that very limited potential has left for further development of surface and groundwater resources in the country, therefore, future additional water supplies would largely come from savings in the existing losses through effective water management, improved governance of water institutions including the active participation of water users and strengthening of users institutions. The increased dependence on groundwater demands that conjunctive water management should be the essential element of the future water polices in Pakistan, especially for the Punjab province and the Rechna Doab |
| Year | 2005 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Department of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Water Engineering and Management (WM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Babel, Mukand S.;Gupta, Ashim Das |
| Examination Committee(s) | Clemente, Roberto S.;Shivakoti, Ganesh P.;Herath, Srikanta |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Higher Education Commission, Pakistan |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2005 |