Punjab Irrigation Programme: World Bank considering to provide $300 million

World Bank is considering to provide $300 million for Punjab Irrigation Productivity Improvement Programme Project (Phase-I) to improve water productivity. According to an update project report, the project cost is about US $438.9 million equivalent. Of this, Pakistan Government/International Development Association (IDA) financing would be about US $300 million, and farmers' contributions would come to about US $138.9 (about 32 percent).
This project will improve water productivity to translate into greater agricultural output per unit of water used, and will be achieved through improved physical delivery efficiency, irrigation practices, crop diversification and effective application of inputs.
Project report revealed that the main objectives are to increase agricultural production, employment and incomes, higher living standards and positive environmental outcomes. Under this project, Installation High Efficiency Irrigation Systems will be completed with the cost of US $178 million and IDA US $113 million. The first component would support the installation of drip, trickle, bubbler, or sprinkler irrigation systems at the field level for high value, horticulture, vegetables, floriculture and other high value row crops.
The irrigation systems would be installed by a service provider on a shared cost basis. The Government would carry 60 percent of the cost with the remaining 40 percent paid by the farmers. Such level of subsidy is justified given that this is new technology. The drip units would include a pumping unit, fertiliser tank, delivery fittings, filters, underground main pipeline, and delivery lines, etc. High efficient irrigation systems would be installed over 120,000 acres. These systems would be installed for orchards, vegetable, flowers and other high value row crops, thereby promoting crop diversification, project report mentioned.
WB project revealed that controlled application of water and non-water inputs would enhance crop productivity. A technical assistance package would be provided by the vendors to the farmers to promote adaptation of the new technology. In addition, technical assistance and training would be provided to the users through next part of project. Successful installation and application of these irrigation systems would encourage the private sector to adopt this high efficient irrigation technology, as was the case of groundwater development, which was initiated by the government but brought to scale by the private sector.
For Strengthening of Precision Land Levelling Services about US $25 million with IDA assistance US $12.5 million will be available. Un-levelled fields cause wastage of water, resulting in low irrigation application efficiency and much lower yields. Laser land levelling saves up to 30 percent irrigation water. It results in uniform seed germination and increases fertiliser's uptake efficiency which enhances crop yields of up to 20 percent. Under this component the laser levelling equipment would be provided to the service providers on shared cost basis.
Project report pointed out that the service providers would provide the laser levelling equipment and tractors to interested farmers, who would use their own tractors to complete the levelling. A capacity for laser land levelling of about two million acres annually would be developed for which about 5,000 laser levelling units would be provided. About 50 percent of the cost of laser land levelling equipment would be provided by the service provider who also owns a tractor capable of operating the LASER unit.
Upgrading of Community Irrigation Systems will be completed with the cost of US $245.7 million plus IDA assistance of US $172 million. Project report explained that the Watercourse Improvements in Canal Irrigated Areas would assist Government efforts to improve watercourses (W/C), the tertiary level water distribution system where water losses are highest. Of the 140,000 total watercourses in irrigated areas of Pakistan, around 95,000 have been improved under various programmes supported by several donors. Punjab has about 58,000 watercourses in irrigated areas, out of which about 41,000 have been improved, leaving a remaining 17,000 in need of improvement.
The innovations would be introduced to use concrete parabolic channel sections up to 8 feet (or U sections namely canalets) placed on levelled compacted earth with water-tight joints, thus improving existing technology of brick lining. Where suitable and where farmers prefer, watercourses would be lined using traditional bricks with plaster. Also water turnout structures would be replaced with properly designed concrete structures (pucca nakas). The earthen sections of the watercourse would be improved using clean compacted soil. Efforts would be made to have private contractors/service providers construct such canales and installed by the water users associations (WUAs). The project would provide technical assistance for layout and construction supervision to the WUAs. The length of the watercourses, installation of diversion structures, as well as other improvements to earthen sections of the watercourses would be in accordance with the current standard practice and optimised for each watercourse. WUAs would share the cost through providing labour, and the Government would provide canalets and other material. Approximately 6,500 watercourses would be improved. In canal commanded areas preference would be given to the areas where distributary level farmers organisations have been formed, project report stated.
Completion of Partially Improved Watercourses is another important objective. Many watercourses in Punjab were only partially (barely) improved in the early part of the programme in the late 1970s. In order to fully realise the benefits, the improvement works on these watercourses would have to be completed. The project would cover completion of about 4,000 watercourses which have been partially improved in the past. Farmers would contribute skilled and unskilled labour (30 percent of the cost) with the Project funding the remaining cost.
For improvement of Community Irrigation Systems in the Non-canal Commanded Areas, project report stated that this project would cover watercourse improvements in the rain-fed (Barani) areas, ie, areas which are not in the command of barrage controlled irrigation but have localised irrigation schemes. These are generally small watercourses and the cost of improvement is less than in other areas. The project would cover about 4,000 watercourses in Barani areas. Farmers would contribute skilled and unskilled labour (about 30 percent of the cost of the improvement works) while the Project would carry the cost of the material.