What Are Some Conventional Ways Of Irrigation In Pakistan?

1. Shaduf: In the shaduf system water is drawn from a well, river or canal by a bucket which is attached to a pole on one side and weight on the other side

2. Charsa : In charsa animal power is used to pull water from the well. The charsa system is not used by many farmers now.

3. Persian wheel: It is a system of continuous supply of water and irrigates comparatively larger areas.

4. Karez: A karez is a horizontal underground canal in the foothills that brings underground water to the surface. The underground canals may be several kilometers long. This is an old system practiced only in Balochistan, where water is scarce and evaporation rate is high. By building the canal, underground evaporation looses are minimized.

5. Inundation canals: Long canals taken off from large rivers are called inundation canals. They receive water when the river is high enough and especially when it is flood.

6. Tank irrigation: Tank irrigation is practiced by constructing mud banks across streams to make a small reservoir which collect excess water during the rainy season.

1. Shaduf:

In the shaduf system water is drawn from a well, river or canal by a bucket which is attached to a pole on one side and weight on the other side.A small area can be irrigated by this method.This system is rarely used today

2. Charsa :

In charsa animal power is used to pull water from the well. The charsa system is not used by many farmers now.

3. Persian wheel:

It is a system of continuous supply of water and irrigates comparatively larger areas.

4. Karez:

A karez is a horizontal underground canal in the foothills that brings underground water to the surface. The underground canals may be several kilometers long. This is an old system practiced only in Balochistan, where water is scarce and evaporation rate is high. By building the canal, underground evaporation looses are minimized.It is dug by a group of people who then share the water for irrigating their crops. Vertical shafts are also dug down to the canal so that it can be cleared and repaired to prevent any blockage in the flow of water.

5. Inundation canals:

Long canals taken off from large rivers are called inundation canals. They receive water when the river is high enough and especially when it is flood.

6. Tank irrigation:

Tank irrigation is practiced by constructing mud banks across streams to make a small reservoir which collect excess water during the rainy season.

The effectiveness of the conventional methods of irrigation could be realized and acknowledged by the fact that they have provided great benefits to its incorporators for a stretch of centuries that consolidates the veracity of its utility. Although Pakistan has seen a number of significant developments and advancements in its canal irrigation system, some of the conventional methods are still used attributing to some factors. For starters, some conventional methods have proved their suitability to the regions in which they have been used for a time period extending to centuries. Moreover the dearth of awareness and education of the local population regarding modern methods is another hindrance that encumbers them to trust any modern approaches added to the canal irrigation system. Also the lack of monetary resources and guidance goes a long way in preventing the widespread incorporation of modern methods of irrigation such as tubewells, perennial canals and tankers, leaving the local population with no alternative other than the conventional means of irrigation, which have proved their reliability and effectiveness to their users.