A growth rate of 2.67% in the fiscal year 2019-20 compared to a poor 0.58% growth in FY19 is encouraging but hardly enough to bring about the ‘agriculture revolution’ that has been envisioned by the government. One key area that is crucial in ensuring the sustainable growth of the agriculture industry is the uninterrupted supply of water for irrigation, which requires the construction of dams. A major portion of the water stored behind dams is withdrawn to meet the needs of evapotranspiration (ET) of irrigated crops and plantations. There are of course opportunities for seasonal irrigation as well, but irrigation is the largest user of the water stored in dams. Although Pakistan still receives ample rainfall each year, there are not enough dams to store that water, leading to massive wastage.

Source: Pakistan Today April 05, 2021 18:00 UTC