Cost Effective Management of Water Eroded Areas on

Sustainable Basis and Insitu Rain Water Conservation

Muhammad Rashid

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

13.05

6.17 6.28

1.57

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Water Erosion Wind Erosion Salinity/Sodicity Waterlogging

Are

a

(m

. h

a)

Extent of Land Degradation (m.ha)

Water Erosion

1.90, 15%

0.06, 0%

6.50, 50%

4.58, 35%Punjab

Sindh

NWFP

Baloch.

Source: Shah and Arshad (2006)

13.05 m. ha.

Kh.P.K

Present Practices for Controlling

Water Erosion

Plantation of trees

Development of water

resources such as small

dam, min dams, ponds and

dug wells.

Use of earth moving

machinery for land levelling

and terracing.

Construction of masonry

structures

Piece meal efforts

Lack system

approach-[IWM] Sustainable,

Economical and

affordable

technologies required

to implement system

approach.

1. Farm Water/Runoff Control Structures for

improvement of rainfed terraced systems.

2. Green manuring and gypsum for insitu moisture

conservation & crop productivity enhancement.

3. Profitable use of gullied areas without levelling.

4. Profitable use of stored rainwater for high value

crops.

5. Grasses screened under rainfed conditions.

6. Evaluation of the integrated effect of all above

technologies at sub-water scale.

Barani Zone-Pothwar

Technologies being developed/

standardized by SAWCRI

Barani Zone-Pothwar

1. Farm Water/Runoff Control

Structures for improvement of

rainfed terraced systems.

Farm Water/Runoff Control Structures

ISSUES

Damage to terraces with high intensity rainstorms

Loss of soil and water

• CONSEQUENCES

– Reduced moisture for crops.

– Reduced soil productivity.

– Additional expenses to repair embankments & minor leveling (Av. Repair cost Rs. 1500-2500/acre)

– Gully development at downstream

Masonry structures

Existing technology

Concerns

Borrowed technology

Highly expensive due to use of concrete, bricks etc

Rs.25,000 to 2 Lac/structure

No input-output rationale

Rodent damage requires repair by skilled masons so repair cost high.

• CONSEQUENCES

– Not affordable by end users.

– Little adoption.

Farm water/runoff control structures

SAWCRI technology

Indigenous knowledge integrated

with latest scientific development.

Involvement of stakeholders

ensured at planning & evaluation

stages.

International collaboration with

ICARDA

Long-term meteorological data used

in designing on scientific basis.

Different types evaluated at farmers’

fields with their participation

under different rainfall zones and

variable land forms.

More than 150 structures

perfectly given output at farmers’

fields in different agro-ecologies.

#

#

#

#

## #

#

#

#

Bhoun

Jarmote

Hafizabad

Balkasar

Mengun

Nansukh Dk. Ber Khabal

Damal

Khalabat

5

7

5

7

54 7

12

7

5

Talagang

Chakwal

P D Khan

Pindi Gheb

Fatehjhang

Sohawa

Gujar Khan

Attock

Jand

Rawalpindi

Kahota

Murree

Jhelum

ChoasydenshahPotoharregion.shp

Tehsil boundaries.shp

# Farm water control structures.shp

60 0 60 Kilometers

N

Location of Farm Water Control Structures

GIS Cell SAWCRIGIS Cell SAWCRI

Scale = 1:15,00,000Scale = 1:15,00,000

Farm water/runoff control structures

Simplified designing procedure.

Extremely Low-cost (<5000 Rs.), No cement or concrete, only dry stones.

Natural grass acts as cementing material.

Flexible. Automatic stone settlement on rodent burrows.

Negligible repair cost.

Safe disposal of runoff from higher to lower fields.

Soil erosion minimized by >90%.

Insitu rainwater conservation.

Crop productivity increase 20-25%.

Pay back period 3-5 years.

More than 150 structures evaluated on farmers’ fields.

Cost & Benefits

Barani Zone-Pothwar

2. Green manuring and

gypsum for insitu rainwater

conservation

Moisture Conservation & Crop

Productivity Enhancement

26

57

121

143

67

217

1527

3956

43

020406080

100120140160

May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb March April

Mo

nth

ly R

ain

fall (m

m)

Drought period

(Oct-Dec)

Mean Monthly Rainfall

(last 30 years)

Main Issue Minimum soil moisture at sowing of Wheat.

2.51

(25%)

1.90

(46%)

2.22(38%)

2.1

(34%)

2.031.52

(10%)

3.59

(19%)

3.89

(31%)

4.29

(33%)

4.36

3.27(37%)

3.44

(46%)

3.67

(46%)

3.66 (29%)

3.24

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Cont 0.5 1 1.5 2 32001-02(98mm) 2002-03(235mm) 2003-04(120mm)

Wheat grain yield (t/ha) Vs Rabi

Rainfall (Research Farm)

GYPSUM T/Acre

Economic benefit of use of gypsum on wheat Rs-ha-1 at farmers’

fields (at fixed price of wheat) on one year impact basis

Gypsum

Dose

t-ha-1

Net benefit over no gypsum

Rs-ha-1

Number of

farmers

11 17 10

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05

1.25 - 2780 2728

2.50 2865 5305 9415

5.00 3488 1405 4800

7.50 - -3010 698

Wheat Grain price @ Rs 415/40 kg; Wheat straw price @ Rs 50/40kg; Gypsum @ Rs40/50 kg bag

Standardized dose for fallow-wheat system i.e. @

1 Tone/acre application before monsoon.

On average, 22% percent increase in wheat yield

at farmers field

study under various cropping patterns in

progress.

Initial results show about 10-15% increase in

various crops at farmers’ fields i.e. Groundnut,

Brassica, Mung, Sorghum fodder.

Beneficial impact of gypsum application available

for at least three years.

Gypsum Technology-Summary

Two green manures i.e.

cowpeas & guar (from 12)

crops found most effective for

insitu rainfall conservation

and increasing wheat yield.

Cowpeas for medium and high

rainfall areas.

Guar for low rainfall areas.

Wheat productivity increase at

farmers fields 20%

Green Manuring

Guar

Cowpeas

Rotavator is not

available in area.

Results of three years

study proved that

Mouldboard plough is

equally good for

incorporation in rainfed

areas.

Incorporation of Green Manures

Barani Zone-Pothwar

3. Profitable use of gullied

areas without leveling.

Land leveling

Economical if around ten hours

• Top fertile soil buried

• More prone to erosion

• Huge expenditure

•Rate of soil formation: 0.1 mm/yr

•Soil profile development takes centuries

450 plants of blood red variety of citrus were planted in 1996-97

Eyebrow terraces with plantation in staggered arrangement

MULCH

Stop wash barriers

Cucurbits were grown with same water and nutrients

200 peach & Apple plants were planted in 1998-99

Soil & water losses monitoring

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

WA

TER

LO

SSES

(m3 /h

a)

CTR

US

PEAC

H

EUC

ALYP

YUS

CO

NTR

OL

CATCHMENTS

IMPACT OF INTERVENTIONS ON WATER LOSS IN

DIFFERENT CATCHMENTS

1997

2003

Soil erosion minimized and gullies formation averted.

Standardized the technology for control of soil and water losses from small catchments through stop wash barriers, staggered plantation and providing ground cover etc.

The research studies proved that gullied lands can be made productive on sustainable basis without the intervention of leveling by bulldozer through growing of fruit plants using stored rainwater.

However, survival rate differed amongst various fruit species in relation to water stress, temperature, rodent attack and other soil factors.

Ensures proper utilization of marginal lands, where growing of other fruit crops not only provides sustained economy but help in improving the environment.

Barani Zone-Pothwar

6. Evaluating the performance

of technologies/measures at

sub-water scale.

The Watershed

1

Barani area

10 0 10 Kilometers

Dharabiwsbdtheme1.shp

Nikka dam watershed.shpChak khushi.shp

Watershedbd.shpLahore islamabad motorway.shp

Talagang chakwal road.shpChakwal khushab road.shp

Water bodies.shpPernial streams.shp

Lsw8.shp

Lsw7.shpLsw6.shp

Rsw5.shpLsw4.shp

Lsw3.shpLsw2.shp

Lsw1.shp

Rsw-8.shpRsw-7.shp

Rsw6.shpRsw5.shp

Rsw3.shp

Rsw2.shpRsw sialws.shp

Non perrnial streams1.shp

N

Total area = 19600 ha; Gullied/Waste land = 36% Grazing land = 31% ; Built-in area = 3% Irrigated area = 5%; Wetlands = 5% Rainfed agriculture = 20% Natural Lake

Villages = 13; Town = 1

Small dams = 2; Mini dams = 13

Population = 27,000; Rainfall = 575 mm

Main partners:

ICARDA,

SAWCRI,

BARI,

Arid Univ,

NRSP,

Vienna Univ.

• Soil loss monitoring system • Six catchments with wiers

• Rainfed terraced sub-watershed systems • Gyspum for Wheat • Runoff harvesting Structures.

• Rehabilitation of wastelland/ gullied areas • Mot Grass in gullies

•Rainfed terraced sub-watershed systems

• Runoff harvesting Structures.

• Rehabilitation of wasteland

• Mot grass in gullies

• Gully Farming

• Rehabilitation of wasteland

• Mot grass in gullies

• Rainfed terraced sub-Watersheds.

• Gypsum • Structures

WATERSHED ACTIVITIES Rehna Sadaat Community

Khokharbala Community

Dhoke Mohri Community

Chak Khushi Community Ratta Community

• Weather station • Runoff and water

quality monitoring