Natural Resource Management and Nation Building in Pakistan: Agro-Commercialization in Tehsils of Colonial District Multan, Pakistan

Nation-building refers to the process of constructing or structuring a national identity using the power of the state. Natural resources and technologies associated with it and their use have been an integral part of human life, as old as civilization. The land formed the main ingredients of a natural resource. Pakistan is fortunate because its soils, topography and climate are generally suitable for farming, but its agriculture sectors face the problem of scarcity of water in regions like Multan. The development of irrigation resources was, therefore, one of the major concerns of the Governments who ruled the region. Like other Punjab districts, Multan witnessed the commercialization of agro products and the growth of market towns following the extension of irrigation and communication facilities. However, it was immensely transformed by the Sidhnai Canal Colony system. This paper also attempts to analyze the economics of conjunctive water management practices in Tehsils of Colonial Multan. This research is based on original non published official reports from Punjab Civil Secretariat Lahore and British Indian Library London. The paper is mainly based on archival documentation, settlement and assessment reports and gazetteers.

The Potential of Small Dams for Conjunctive Water Management in Rural Municipalities

The drinking water supply to Vila Pouca de Aguiar municipality in North Portugal is based on high quality groundwater, namely on nearly one hundred artesian springs and fifty boreholes. The groundwater resources are plentiful on a municipal level, but evidence some deficits at the sub-municipal (village) level, especially during the dry period (July- August) that coincides with the return of many emigrants for holiday time. The deficits affect mostly the municipal capital (Vila Pouca de Aguiar) and a neighboring village (Pedras Salgadas), which populations nearly double or even triple during that period. The estimated annual deficits approach 55,000 m3/yr in those villages. If the anticipated increase in consumption/habitant and decrease in annual rainfall become reality in the next two decades, then the deficits may raise to approximately 90,000 m3/yr. To balance the water supply system, this study proposes its transition towards a conjunctive water management based on surface water stored in small dams and groundwater. A hydrologic modeling involving small forested catchments (< 15 km2) elected the Cabouço watershed as most suited basin to store stream water, because surface water availability is large (2.4 Mm3/yr) and forest cover is dominant (84.8%). Estimated nutrient loads are also compatible with drinking water supply.

Conjunctive management of surface and groundwater in transboundary watercourses: a first assessment

Cooperative management of transboundary river basins is widely recognized as important. Emphasis on joint management of shared aquifers has also grown in recent years. Perhaps surprisingly, despite abundant focus on transboundary surface water and growing focus on shared groundwater, there is scant focus on their intersection. To address this knowledge limitation, this article reviews experiences in transboundary water treaties oriented toward different water sources, in order to: (i) understand how transboundary water institutions vary according to the water source to which they are oriented, (ii) gauge the nature and strength of conjunctive transboundary water management treaties, and (iii) identify ways to enhance conjunctive water management in transboundary contexts. The results reveal the existence of more than 50 treaties that make mention of both water sources. Nonetheless, only eight treaties devote ‘substantive’ focus to both surface and groundwater. Review of treaty contents reveals that their focus is on ‘softer’ issues related to institutional development. Moving forward, the reality that the evolution of conjunctive treaties is relatively nascent, and that scope of such treaties is still limited to institutional issues, may indicate large untapped potential – it may be time to outline pathways toward practical implementation of conjunctive water management in transboundary contexts.