The Indus Basin of Pakistan


Book Description

This study, Indus basin of Pakistan: the impacts of climate risks on water and agriculture was undertaken at a pivotal time in the region. The weak summer monsoon in 2009 created drought conditions throughout the country. This followed an already tenuous situation for many rural households faced with high fuel and fertilizer costs and the impacts of rising global food prices. Then catastrophic monsoon flooding in 2010 affected over 20 million people, devastating their housing, infrastructure, and crops. Damages from this single flood event were estimated at US dollar 10 billion, half of which were losses in the agriculture sector. Notwithstanding the debate as to whether these observed extremes are evidence of climate change, an investigation is needed regarding the extent to which the country is resilient to these shocks. It is thus timely, if not critical, to focus on climate risks for water, agriculture, and food security in the Indus basin of Pakistan.




Climate Change Profile of Pakistan


Book Description

Catastrophic floods, droughts, and cyclones have plagued Pakistan in recent years. The 2010 flood killed 1,600 people and caused around $10 billion in damage. The 2015 Karachi heat wave led to the death of more than 1,200 people. Climate change-related natural hazards may increase in frequency and severity in the coming decades. Climatic changes are expected to have wide-ranging impacts on Pakistan, affecting agricultural productivity, water availability, and increased frequency of extreme climatic events. Addressing these risks requires climate change to be mainstreamed into national strategy and policy. This publication provides a comprehensive overview of climate change science and policy in Pakistan.




Pakistan's Water Economy


Book Description

Water sustenance and management are central development challenges facing Pakistan today. This report argues for dramatic changes in policy and approach to enable Pakistan to maintain and build new infrastructure, besides securing the water required for future generations. Focusing on two basic issuesthe countrys major water-related challenges, and ways of addressing themthe report calls for reinvigorated public water policies and institutions to sustain water development and management in the future by: Exploring the evolution of water management in Pakistan Describing past achievements and their relevance in the current context Analyzing existing challenges Suggesting ways of evolving a sustainable water management system The report draws heavily on a set of companion reports by Pakistan water experts and policy analysts. These reports are presented in the accompanying CD and provide in-depth analyses of: The interface between water and agriculture, energy, environment, growth, and poverty Drinking water, sanitation, drainage and salinity, flood, dams, groundwater, and water balance management Water-related rights and entitlements, reforms, and resources and institutions




Water Resources of Pakistan


Book Description

This book presents the first comprehensive assessment of water resources in Pakistan including surface water resources and groundwater resources. It gives a detailed overview of issues and challenges related to water which have not been adequately addressed e.g. water resource vulnerability to climate change, groundwater depletion and contamination, and water governance etc. It includes a collection and compilation of unpublished and scattered data from the archives and repositories of various national institutions and organization. Given the literature dearth, this book will not only be a comprehensive assessment of water resources in Pakistan but can also can as outstanding textbook on water resource management in Pakistan. It will attract a great range of readership including water specialists, researchers, undergraduate and post graduate students and policy makers from Pakistan as well as from overseas.




Coasts and Estuaries


Book Description

Coasts and Estuaries: The Future provides valuable information on how we can protect and maintain natural ecological structures while also allowing estuaries to deliver services that produce societal goods and benefits. These issues are addressed through chapters detailing case studies from estuaries and coastal waters worldwide, presenting a full range of natural variability and human pressures. Following this, a series of chapters written by scientific leaders worldwide synthesizes the problems and offers solutions for specific issues graded within the framework of the socio-economic-environmental mosaic. These include fisheries, climate change, coastal megacities, evolving human-nature interactions, remediation measures, and integrated coastal management. The problems faced by half of the world living near coasts are truly a worldwide challenge as well as an opportunity for scientists to study commonalities and differences and provide solutions. This book is centered around the proposed DAPSI(W)R(M) framework, where drivers of basic human needs requires activities that each produce pressures. The pressures are mechanisms of state change on the natural system and Impacts on societal welfare (including well-being). These problems then require responses, which are the solutions relating to governance, socio-economic and cultural measures (Scharin et al 2016). - Covers estuaries and coastal seas worldwide, integrating their commonality, differences and solutions for sustainability - Includes global case studies from leading worldwide contributors, with accompanying boxes highlighting a synopsis about a particular estuary and coastal sea, making all information easy to find - Presents full color images to aid the reader in a better understanding of details of each case study - Provides a multi-disciplinary approach, linking biology, physics, climate and social sciences




Water availability, use and challenges in Pakistan - Water sector challenges in the Indus Basin and impact of climate change


Book Description

This working paper takes stock of Pakistan's water resource availability, delineating water supply system and its sources including precipitation and river flows, and the impact of increasing climatic variability on the water supply system. In particular, the paper focuses on the current water usage and requirements in the agricultural sector, and how changing climatic conditions will affect the consumption patterns. With inflows expected to become more variable in the coming years, the severity of climatic extremities will become more pronounced, driving up water demands in addition to the demand increase from a rising population and urbanization. Over extraction of groundwater resources is also disturbing the water calculus and pushing the country towards a critical demand-supply gap.




The Indus Basin of Pakistan


Book Description

This study assesses the impacts of climate risks and development alternatives on water and agriculture in the Indus basin of Pakistan. It analyzes inter-relationships among the climate, water, and agriculture sectors and provides a systems modeling framework for these purposes.




Climate Change, Water and Food Security


Book Description

The rural poor, who are the most vulnerable, are likely to be disproportionately affected.







Spatial distribution of reference and potential evapotranspiration across the Indus Basin Irrigation Systems


Book Description

The report computes different components of potential crop water demand at the canal command level in Indus Basin. Major contribution is update of water demand based on several years of climate data, which improves the estimation of reference evapotranspiration for developing refined crop coefficients based on the latest cropping patterns. The water demands of major crop and fully developed standard unit for each canal command is presented for direct comparisons and adjustments, if required. The report is part of Indus Basin performance study, which aims to identify the scope for integrated land and water management by evaluating current practices to propose sustainable alternatives.