Institutional Framework for Improved on - Farm Water Management in Pakistan
Sufficient data has been collected and analyzed to define some of the major irrigation water management problems in Pakistan, as well as the technologies that could be employed to correct many of these problems. Thus, there is a strong basis for undertaking a program of improved on-farm water management in Pakistan, even though there is still a need for additional field data to further identify and define problems. The most important components of a water management program for Pakistan are: (a) watercourse rehabilitation; (b) precision land leveling; (c) small tube wells; (d) effective agricultural and water management technical assistance and extension; and (e) development of local institutions to insure the effectiveness of the program. The more difficult problems, though, are not in defining the appropriate technologies, but rather, to define the appropriate processes for implementing such technologies in Pakistan. Feedback from actual field operations will provide valuable insight for improving the implementation process. Provision for assuring this feedback and evaluation and continued program refinement are an essential part of the implementation process.