Ignored by Pakistan, the Indus delta is being lost to the sea

[Cliftonite]

Pakistan will be severely short of water by 50-70 years. We aren't like India or Bangladesh. We are a semi arid country. No vegetation can grow naturally in Sindh and South Punjab without irrigated water from the Indus.

 

[Microsoft]

Pakistan will be severely short of water by 50-70 years. We aren't like India or Bangladesh. We are a semi arid country. No vegetation can grow naturally in Sindh and South Punjab without irrigated water from the Indus.

Water management is key those 50-70 years are plenty if something is done now. Pakistan should not overly rely on hydropower and should look to sources that are more suitable to the land. Like you said Pakistan is mostly arid so solar power is a great choice, especially in the areas you mentioned and Balochistan. With decrease in dam usage and increase in silt reaching the delta the water can be more efficiently put to use for agriculture and the delta is saved. Solar power is the way to go this is something China is doing in their arid landscape and their expertise could be used, the problem is $$$...as is always the case with Pakistan.

 

[Cliftonite]

Water management is key those 50-70 years are plenty if something is done now. Pakistan should not overly rely on hydropower and should look to sources that are more suitable to the land. Like you said Pakistan is mostly arid so solar power is a great choice, especially in the areas you mentioned and Balochistan. With decrease in dam usage and increase in silt reaching the delta the water can be more efficiently put to use for agriculture and the delta is saved. Solar power is the way to go this is something China is doing in their arid landscape and their expertise could be used, the problem is $$$...as is always the case with Pakistan.

Balochistan needs lots of small dams.

The problem with Balochistan is that there are seasonal rivers. Therefore it is essential to dam them. .

 

[khanmubashir]

Nature has a natural balance. When we over dam rivers we can reduce the rate the water flows at. The reduced rate of fresh water means the sea water pushes in further inland.

Now what role does the mangrove play? The mangrove prevents the soil on the coast from eroding, it acts as a natural barrier against the sea water and helps keeps the waters inland of it full of fresh water from rivers. As we get rid of mangrove we destroy this too.

So what can be done?

1. We can improve water management upstream. If we build reservoirs to store monsoon and floodwater, especially downstream of dams, we can then release the water back into the river throughout the year and keep the riverflow at a higher rate. This could be done via artificial canals feeding into the river near the delta.

2. Plant more mangroves. There is no easier cheaper way to protect the coast.

3. Create artificial barriers in the sea for the tide to break against. This will reduce the rate of flow of sea water into the delta, meaning more fresh water. This is likely an expensive option I think.

Or create natural barriers the coral reef and sea grass plantings on the sea bed much cheaper beautiful promotes scuba diving tourism and serves breeding ground for sea food

 

[ziaulislam]

Pakistan will be severely short of water by 50-70 years. We aren't like India or Bangladesh. We are a semi arid country. No vegetation can grow naturally in Sindh and South Punjab without irrigated water from the Indus.

we have 4 times the water of nile..
so whats happening to the water..

it is being used to cause water logging by using 300 years old flood irrigation

first end flood irrigation

PS

nile has total output of 49MAF shared by four countries

indus and kabul system has output of 110-150MAF

California productivity is 10X greater then Pakistan with water usage of around 40MAF

with electrciity espeically solar abundance, there is no case for flood irrigation ..except for incompetence