HYDERABAD: The Vice Chancellor of Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) Tandojam, Dr. Fateh Marri, highlighted that 35% of Pakistan’s land is affected by salinity.
He announced the establishment of a Bio-Saline Center aimed at developing strategies for the adaptation and productive utilization of saline-affected lands. He stressed the importance of innovative approaches to rehabilitate degraded lands, ensuring their optimal use for agricultural and environmental sustainability.
Speaking at the project completion report ceremony for “Adopting to Salinity in the Southern Indus Basin,” Dr. Marri highlighted the project’s achievements. Funded by the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the initiative was executed in collaboration with Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) Jamshoro, Agriculture Research Sindh, and SIDA in Deh Reti Shoro, Taluka Bulri Shah Karim, District Tando Muhammad Khan.
Dr. Marri pointed out that 6.3 million hectares of land in Pakistan suffer from salinity and water-logging, stressing the need to implement innovative agricultural practices. He shared that SAU is actively engaging with international organizations to enhance agricultural and irrigation efficiency through significant projects. He further elaborated on a water management plan developed by the university and its partners. The plan includes monitoring water discharge at the head regulators of 14 canals, analyzing its agricultural usage, and assessing water productivity.
Dr. Inayatullah Rajper, Dean of the Faculty of Crop Production and the project’s focal person, detailed the experimental work carried out on saline-affected farmland owned by Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Chatha near Bulri Shah Karim. Research involved 26 species of trees and plants, with successful cultivation of Khirol, Chiku, Conocarpus, Sukh Chain, and Eucalyptus. These species have demonstrated potential to reduce soil salinity, paving the way for the development of forests or orchards on degraded lands.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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