Water Requirement Of Riverain Area Of Sindh

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'1

WATER REQUIREMENT of RivERAiN AREA of SiNd�

I BY

M. H. PANHWAR

Sindh Education Trust, Hyderabad, Sindh, 2002. ��------��

WATER REQUIREMENT OF RIVERAIN AREA OF SINDH BY

M. H. PANHWAR

TRAGEDY OF LOWER !NOUS RIVER: AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN DISASTER: DESTRUCTION OF NATIONAL ECO SYSTEM: A CASE IN-SIGHT OF LOWER SINDH BY

MOHAMMAD IBRAHIM JOYO

SiNdk EducATioN TausT, HydeRAbAd, SiNdli 2002

Digitized by M. H. Panhwar Institute of Sindh Studies, Jamshoro.

First Edition

1000 copies

[fi.11 rights reserved with the Author]

Price Rs: 50/-

Printed by Ghulam Rabbani A. Agro. Hon: Secretary, Sindhi Adabi Board, at the Board's Printing Press, Jamshoro, Sindh, Pakistan, and published by Mohammad Ibrahim Joyo, Managing Tru11tee, Sindh Education Trust,

Kazi P aro,

Garri Khato,

Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan.

Digitized by M. H. Panhwar Institute of Sindh Studies, Jamshoro

‫ ﭴﺎﻣﺸﻮرو۔‬،‫ﭘﺎران اﯾﻢ اﯾﭿ ﭘﻨﮭﻮر اﻧﺴٽﯿٽﯿﻮٽ آف ﺳﻨﮅ اﺳٽڊﯾﺰ‬

Erratta erratum

Page

line

17

24

a alast

alas

21

19

was

as

26

31

Dhors

Dhoro

34

8

olericulture

horticulture

47

28

..... of the

..... of the Rabi-season

67

25

statislies

stastics

Kashmir

Kashrnor

Sailable

Saila bi

11

Doors

Dhoros

23

I cusec and W APDA and WAPDA-- 1 cusec

69

15

this)

this author

71

1

Rivera

Riverain

17

Rivera area is

Riverai'l area i.e.,

68

7

At the

to be read

(Note: The table

end

stands concluded on the next page]

78

13

Mulatto

Multan

--x--

Tl\BI E OF CONTL:NTS

PAGE

3

INTRODUCTION

1

CHAPTER #01 THE NEGLECTED RIVERAIN AREA OF SINDH: THE PRESENT SITUATION AND SUGGESTIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT

23

The Riverain Area Frequency of peak floods at Sukkur, for the years 1901-1976 Indications by aerial photographs Roads Constraints to agriculture in Riverain area The present position of inundation water Population Tube-wells in the Riverain area Agriculture land Existing agriculture Forest land Animal husbandry Tube-wells for reclamation of tt1e riverain agriculture land and forest� Conseauences of ground water development in riverain area Occurance of fresh ground water in riverain areas in Sindh Provision of w3ter for the area having saline ground water Trans11ortatior. of fresh water to the brackish water areas Mir.in!; of water in riverain areas Riverain area between Kotri barrage and the Sea CHAPTER #02 WATER REQUIREMENT OF CROPS IN RIVERAIN AREA

45

Assumptions Behaviour of regenerated water in autumn, winter and spring Size of tube-well Protection of tube-wells duirng floods Organization for installation and maintenance of tube-wells Supply of Electric power in the riverain area Is seepage-water a loss? CHAPTER #03 PRESENT TUBE WELL TECHNOLOGY FOR RIVERAIN AREAS: LIMITATIONS AND SOLUTIONS

General Tube-wells for riverain areas Failure of tube-wells Limitations of centrifugal pumps for pumping water from Dhoros and Ditches Solution to the problem of pumping from Dhoros Diesel engine as prime-mover

55

CHAPTER #04 TYPICAL PROPOSED TUBE-WELL DESIGN OF WAPDA FOR GUDDU-SUKKUR RIVERAIN AREAS

62

Rabi Kharif Crop yield projections by WAPDA for 2001 A.O. (1976 projections) Water requirement at water-course head as calculated by WAPDA

(1976)

Potential for future development Fresh ground water Inventory of existing water sources (tube-wells and pumped Dhoros) Statistics of riverain area, Kashmore to Sukku Distribution of population between Guddu and Sukkur Forest production in million cu.ft between Guddu and Sukkur Fish varieties CHAPTER #05 RIVERAIN AREA AS GROUND WATER BANK

71

What is ground water bank Deposit, withdrawal and overdraft from ground water bank of 1 O million acre feet. Depositing in the ground water bank Withdrawals from groung water bank Over-draft from ground water bank Advantages of ground water bank compared to other storages Surface water development versus ground water development Advantages of ground water storage as compared with surface water storage Ground water infiltration below Kotri barrage Tail end Barrage CHAPTER #06 GROUND WATER IN SINDH AND ITS POSITION IN THE NEAR FUTURE

78

CHAPTER #07 SCHEME OF SINDH GOVERNMENT FOR INSTALLATION OF TUBE-WELLS IN SINDH

83

CHAPTER #08 LINING OF CANALS AND WATER COURSES

91

TRAGEDY OF LOWER-INDUS RIVER: AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN DISASTER: DESTRUCTION OF NATIONAL ECO SYSTEM: A CASE IN-SIGHT OF LOWER SINDH

***

95

�-S.G

GROUND WATm MAP OFSIHDH

,_ ..... _ .......-.....

Cl'

·==·... .. -..........._

I 1

--­

.............. ---

........ c--. � t ........... ..... '-· ��----

5

THE INDUS RIVERAIN AREA BETWEEN KASHMORE AND SUKKUR

6

THE INDUS RIVERAIN AREA BETWEEN SUKKUR AND SEHWAN 7

THE INDUS RIVERAIN AREA BETWEEN SEHWAN AND KOTRI BARRAGE 8

THE INDUS RIVERAIN AREA BETWEEN KOTRI BARRAGE AND THE ARABIAN SEA

9

MAP N0:53 H

�

-----

CLIMATIC MAP OF SINDH: ANNUAL RAIN FALL

10

MAP N0:54

JNOfX .. .,........ ...._ .. ___ ···��·---­ ). 1un:•utorn--

�

4. H0'91Nt'"4 _.•.,____ .. ....

CLIMATIC MAP OF SINDH: ANNUAL EVAPO!i:ATION

11

,. ,,..

MAPN0:60

.,

"

c .

RANN

,.

,.

..

UNITS 420 (1) CHILL HEAT DAYS 4696 (2 ) CHILLUNITS 420 HEAT DAYS 4475 UNITS 550 CHILL (3} HEAT DAYS 4509

(4) CHILLUNITS 550 HEAT DAYS 4434 UNITS 450 (5) GHILL HEAT DA'(S 4441 CHILLUNITS 360 �) HEAT DAYS 4410

SUTCH

o•

(7) CHILLUNITS 300 HEAT DAYS 4236 UNITS 200 (8) CHILL HEAT DAYS 4356

UNITS 300 (9) CHILL HEAT DAYS 4270 300 (1Q)CHILLUNITS HEAT DAYS 4219 ( 11)CHILLUNITS 150 HEAT DAYS 4373 CHILL UNITS 300 1 ( 2} HEAT DAYS 3991 12

UNITS 200 (13) CHILL HEAT DAYS 4202

(14) CHILLUNITS 200 HEAT DAYS 4117 UNITS 100 CHILL (15) HEAT DAYS 3862 (16)CHILLUNITS 200 HEAT DAYS 3777 UNITS 300 (17)CHILL HEAT DAYS 4185 (1B} CHILLUNITS 100 HEAT DAYS 3679

INTRODUCTION I was invited to attend and speak at a conference at Badin on 27 July 2000 on "Whether or not to construct K.alabagh Dam". Tire next day, the Daily "Kawish" reported that I spoke against construction of K.alabagh Dam, and the "DAWN" reported that I spoke in favour of the project. M y speech did not mention any thing on or about .Kalabagh, and I wrote a letter to the DAWN, which was published by them as is reproduced below:

Facts about groundwater in Sindh.

refer to the daily Dawn of 28th July 2000, in which it is reported that M.H. Panhwar supported construction of Kalabagh dam. On the same date, all Sindhi newspapers reported that M.H. Panhwar opposed Kalabagh dam I had raised 3 issues: In Sindh, fresh groundwater is only in 10% area, but (i) even this is underlain by brackish water, which rises every tinle pumping is done and with pumping for 30,000 to 40.000 hours, all this water will turn brackish. 1bis is going to happen soon and there will be no fresh water tubewells in Sindh. KINDLY

(ii)

If 4,800

proposed tube-wells are installed in riverain area, they would pump huge quantities of groundwater each year. 1bis quantity· of water would need annual replenishment and such a quantity is neither available, nor can be spared. When existing fresh groundwater goes saline, we (iii) would need extra surface water to maintain existing cultivation, and this has to be provided. Parts of my speech were also shown on the PIV on the very day. 13

I want to point out that the rep0rter did not convey the con-ect views expressed by me.

M.H. PANH\VAR Karachi

1 1 August, 2000 Actually, I was called "pon to speak at the conference only for five minutes,

and on the subj ect

"Ground Water in Sindh" which I have been investigating and studying for the past

fifty years. A surrunary of my

findings on the subject could only refer to and highlight the seriousness of the plight of the Riverain area of Sindh in case annual floods failed to visit the area and also the need and availability of extra water in the shape of fresh ground water in the said area, which was already fast turning saline. The tragedy is that Sindh believes that WAPDA is taking sides and Sindh Government has not given a serious thought to the problems of Sindh's riverain (Katcha) area. The local residents in the area being small minorities in adjoining

Talukas

have

no

political

voice

and

the

politicians returned to Assemblies have no full awareness of their plight, and sadly enough they do not know the solution of their problem "Ground water" has not been much of a sub ject to be understood and explored by the Engineering or Irrigation Departments of our Universities or even of Governments. The one time Government supply agencies

and

technical

services

working

as

drilling

contractors for the farmers have today lost involvement or even capability. I have written these pages in defense of the neglected area and have pin-pointed and dwelt on the problems for the readers in a layman's language. The highlights of what

this

book-let discusses in some details

are: (i)

The riverain or Katcha area of Sim.lb between Kashmore and its Indus delta upto the sea coast,

14

2. 1 1 2

within the Hood Protective Embankments, is

million acres, which is roughly divided into the present and the abandoned river channels acres),

forest

settlements

(450,000

lm1ds

and

government

acres), agrid!itt.lre land

( 1 .0

(600,000

acres),

roads,

(50,000

structures

million acres, of which

more than 60% is Kabuli or private land and the rest is Nakabuli or Sindh governme nt land). (ii)

The exact figure of the Nakabuli land is not known as some of it has been leased out to various individuals,

parties

and

agencies.

The

forest

department also keeps on leasing out the land. (iii)

Before the opening up of Tarbela dam in

Katcha

area received

300,000

1973,

the

cusecs of water

(98% of years), 400,000 cusecs in 500,000 cusecs in 77% years, 600,000 cusecs in 55% years, 700,000 cusecs in 28% years and 8QO,OOO cusecs and above or super-floods in 1 3.3% years, almost every year

86%

(iv)

years,

On the preserved moisture left by yearly flood water were raised forests, horticultural crops (melons �d vegetables) and field crop (wheat, oil seeds) in Rabi.

(v)

Area

flooded

and

not

under Rabi

crop

grew

luxuriant grasses and pastures, and even in areas not flooded, pastures were supported by capillary action of moisture rising up from water table, and on it thrived

animal

husbandry,

not

only

anin1als

of

Katcha area but also those brought from adjoining barrage

areas

and

invariably

Kohistan from March to July.

15

from

Thar

and

( vi)

Wahurs, Dhoros, Dhoris ( abandoned channels) and active river channels produced abundant fi sh and fauna, and fishing was a large indu stry in Sindh.

( vii)

Pennanent population of Katcha area was 750,000 in 1972 , but a large number of migr atory and temporary

people

of out- side

areas

too

were

engaged in the cutting of outworn or excess forest trees, tens of thou sands, in making wood products, in making wo od products in animal hu sbandry, fi sheries and i n p lying tens of thousands of bo ats as means of r iver tr ansport an fi shing.

(viii)

Jobs appropriative to those for the r iverain area in hundreds of ways had made people of the Katcha and adjoining areas prosperous.

( ix)

Boatmen were once hit badly by r ailway traffic since

its in ception in

1861 .

Being

directly in

competition with th e go vernment owned railways, but

the r iver,

their

lifeline,

existed

and

they

survived. The boatmen in Sin.db are today being decim ated bec au se of Indu s in its p assage through Sindh, and Sindh' s hundreds of lakes, are being devastated and de-watered and literally killed. And the go vernments of the day care a hoo t abou t it all. Hundreds of r iver port s ha ve decayed and gone out of service and tens of thous ands of the bo at-men and men of fi shin g communities are languishing in p enury. The government established Municipalities, N otified Area Committees, impor tant mundies and settled busin ess communities and workmen therein , are flourishing but not the bo at-me n and o thers dependent for li ving o n the ri ver since thous ands o f years past. (x)

New canal s were being constructed. and old ones extended and the area un der cul tivation was bein g

16

increased from 900,000 acres in 1843 to 3 .0 million in 1900, but no provision was made for settlement of boat-men as farmers on new lands, which as per general policy were being sold or allotted to big land-holders

as

they helped

the govenunent in

maintaining law and order and helped in execution of government policies. Exactly the same "care a hoot for it all" is being adopted towards, the fate of the river, and the vast human, anin1al and vegetable populace that it feeds and sustains for the rest of us

all . (xi)

The

flooding

of

Katcha

area

annually

with

minimum of 300,000 cusecs in 98% years and

400,000

cusecs

in 86%

years,

gives

the

area

historical right on water for agriculturey animal husbandry, forest and fisheries, and this right must be

met

at

100%

by

the

government.

Some

fishemren at Rohri had fishing rights to catch pa/a (hilsa) fish on up streams of Sukkur barrage

Khwlli a Khizir's island.

l:itl