Arid Land Development and Combating Desertification in Pakistan - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 231

Table 12.9 Extent of water logged area (000 ha)
Water table depth

Punjab Sindh NWFP/FATA Balochistan Pakistan

(a) Cultivated area 685:8 508:6 90:7 142:1 1427:2

a

100-150 cm 239:2 39:4 39:7 318:3

50-100 cm 78:6 189:2 20:7 4:3 292:8

Less than 50 cm 368:0 280:0 30:3 137:8 816:0

(b) Uncultivated area
(less than 150 cm)

10:0 116:0 1:1 15:6 142:7

Tot al 695:8 624:6 97:8 157:7 1569:9

Source: ECO Services International (2006)
a Negligible extent

construction of buildings and roads, improper alignment and poor maintenance of
artificial open drainage system, inefficient disposal of excess rain water etc .alsoadd
to water logging problem. Total waterlogged area with water table depth of 2-3 m
in Pakistan is about 11 million ha.

Drought and Flooding: Drought is a temporary feature caused by anomalies in
the usual climate of the region. It occurs in virtually all-climatic regimes, but with
higher frequency and probability in the arid and semi-arid regions. Periodic droughts
are seen as a major cause of desertification in several desert areas of Pakistan. The
provinces of Balochistan, Sindh and southern Punjab have been severely affected
due to prolonged dry spell in the early years of the new century. It is estimated
that 2.2 million people and 7.2 million heads of livestock have been affected. The
effects and impact of drought in fragile eco-systems assume serious proportion due
to misuse of marginal areas and unwise land use practices and overexploitation of
natural resources. Adverse effects of drought on human activity last for many years.
Flood occurrence could be an occasional or regular feature of the region. Being
an arid to semi-arid country, floods are usually caused by excessive precipitation
particularly during monsoon season due to weather and climatic disturbance. Major
floods in 1973 and 1992 caused severe damage to the national economy resulting
in land degradation and loss of biodiversity. Floods prohibit cultivation in summer
season, destroy farm houses and other facilities and bury fertile top soil under
relatively infertile sediments.

Socio-economic constraints: Pakistan with a population of over 130 million is
ranked 7th most populous country in the world with a growth rate of 2.6 % per
annum. The implications of such a rapid population proliferation are grave and
multifaceted. It adversely fosters the process of sub-division and fragmentation of
farmlands and adds to the fragile and marginal lands by denudation of forests and
rangelands. There is massive migration from rural to urban areas. It is the poorest
of the poor who suffer from desertification and drought. Unless properly managed,
the already degraded resources will be under heavy pressure. Agriculture, forestry,
hunting and fishing account for 66 % of the rural work force. Over half of the labor
force is engaged by agriculture sector, which has been performing below potential
due to various technical, social and structural constraints.