Water conservation in lower regions of Sindh stressed

Hyderabad: Water conservation in lower regions of Sindh stressed: During a consultation seminar titled “Food-Water Nexus: Connecting the Dots,” held on Thursday and organized by Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) in collaboration with the Research and Development Foundation (RDF) and Welthungerhilfe (WHH), participants emphasized the significance of promoting urban and vertical agriculture. They also encouraged the use of drip irrigation to cultivate 50 percent of the uncultivated agricultural land in the province.

Dr Fateh Marri, the Vice-Chancellor of SAU, highlighted the lack of substantial agricultural production development in the past three decades and stressed the need to promote technologies related to urban agriculture and efficient water usage. This is particularly important considering the growing population and potential water shortages.

Syed Nadeem Shah, a progressive farmer, drew attention to the global practice of vertical planting and food preservation, citing examples from China where people grow vegetables for personal use in their homes. Shah expressed concern about the conversion of green lands into urban areas.

Dr Altaf Siyal, the Dean of the Agriculture Engineering Department, shared that in Sindh, it takes 1300 liters of water to produce one kilogram of wheat and 2500 liters for paddy. He noted that farmers have shown reluctance to adopt drip irrigation systems, and there are concerns about the contamination of the Indus River due to the discharge of polluted drainage water.

Sarwan Baloch, the Programme Manager at WHH, highlighted that rural areas are the primary producers of food items, most of which are consumed in urban areas.