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II. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS OF UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
[ II | II-A
| II-B | II-C | II-D
| II-E | II-F | II-G
| II-H | II-I | II-J
]
A. Major green environmental problems and causes
[ A | A-1
| A-2 | A-3 | A-4
| A-5 | A-6 ]
5. Desertification, waterlogging and salinity
Desertification in Pakistan is a significant problem and over 60 per cent
of the land has already been affected. Consequently, a rapid increase in
the prices of fuelwood and timber has occurred, making it ever more difficult
for the poor to afford fuelwood. That situation leads to more illicit felling
of trees and the use of animal dung as a fuel instead of manure.
Mismanagement of water resource leads to the problems of waterlogging
and salinity, both of which are prevalent in NWFP. Waterlogging arises
from supplying irrigation water via unlined canals and inadequate provisions
for drainage. Water not used by crops, evaporation, drained away on or
below the surface accumulates as groundwater, until such time as its level
rises to the surface to produce a swamp. According to a recent estimate
by WAPDA, a waterlogged area with a water table
at 0-5 feet occupies 0.04 million hectares, which is 0.4 per cent of the
gross area affected in NWFP. The problem areas are parts of the Peshawar
valley, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan. Tubewells offer a satisfactory solution
for draining such land and enhancing irrigation water supplies from the
WAPDA Salinity
Control and Reclamation Project (SCARP). Public sector tubewells are to
be replaced by privately owned small tubewells. A critical issue is the
current subsidy on canal water irrigation pricing which weakens the incentive
to use water efficiently.
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