Institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in Punjab: a case study of the Lower Chenab Canal (East) Circle Area
The Directorate of Land Reclamation (DLR), which was set up in 1945, is a special unit of Punjab's Irrigation and Power Department for undertaking research and field operations to combat the problem of salinity. Approaching the end of five decades of existence, the directorate is yet to demonstrate...
| Autores principales: | , |
|---|---|
| Formato: | Artículo preliminar |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
International Irrigation Management Institute
1994
|
| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/39109 |
| _version_ | 1855530243535667200 |
|---|---|
| author | Bandaragoda, Don Jayatissa Saeed ur Rehman |
| author_browse | Bandaragoda, Don Jayatissa Saeed ur Rehman |
| author_facet | Bandaragoda, Don Jayatissa Saeed ur Rehman |
| author_sort | Bandaragoda, Don Jayatissa |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | The Directorate of Land Reclamation (DLR), which was set up in 1945, is a special unit of Punjab's Irrigation and Power Department for undertaking research and field operations to combat the problem of salinity. Approaching the end of five decades of existence, the directorate is yet to demonstrate its effectiveness in its assigned task; its inability to fully cope with the conditions of a fast changing irrigation environment makes this rather an illusive goal. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace39109 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 1994 |
| publishDateRange | 1994 |
| publishDateSort | 1994 |
| publisher | International Irrigation Management Institute |
| publisherStr | International Irrigation Management Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace391092025-12-08T07:52:58Z Institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in Punjab: a case study of the Lower Chenab Canal (East) Circle Area Bandaragoda, Don Jayatissa Saeed ur Rehman land reclamation soil salinity irrigated sites irrigation canals irrigation water institutions legal aspects irrigation scheduling water availability irrigated farming case studies The Directorate of Land Reclamation (DLR), which was set up in 1945, is a special unit of Punjab's Irrigation and Power Department for undertaking research and field operations to combat the problem of salinity. Approaching the end of five decades of existence, the directorate is yet to demonstrate its effectiveness in its assigned task; its inability to fully cope with the conditions of a fast changing irrigation environment makes this rather an illusive goal. In the selection of lands for reclamation, the Directorate is heavily dependent on the visual salinity survey (Thur Girdawari) carried out every year by the Irrigation Department's field staff. This visual survey appears to be a quick and cost-effective method of assessing surface salinity, but its exclusive use as the criterion for selection of affected land is a questionable approach. According to original departmental procedure, reclamation activities were confined to only two of the five classes of soil identified by the visual salinity survey, but the current practice of including all the types of salt-affected soils in reclamation operations has made the selection process more subjective. Surprisingly, the DLR is not using its existing laboratory facilities optimally to better identify the salt-affected lands. Soil testing in visually identified lands could also help define the reclamation operations more scientifically in addition to improving the selection methods being used. While formal procedure requires the Directorate to communicate to farmers the details of planned reclamation schemes, farmer awareness of the reclamation program seems to be poor and only a few farmers in the study area readily acknowledge agency assistance in obtaining relevant information. In practice, the proposals for reclamation schemes are often initiated by some influential farmers. It is a requirement that the amount of water made available for reclamation be over and above the design supply of a given distributary, and special reclamation outlets can be given from a distributary only on the basis that its tail will not suffer. However, the study shows no evidence to show that extra water was made available during the operation of reclamation outlets; further, tail-end shortages were observed in all the distributaries under the study. In a context where the tendency is to give scant consideration to irrigation rules and procedures, it is unlikely that the Directorate of Land Reclamation in its present form and status will succeed in implementing an extensive program of reclamation operations. For the Directorate to be effective in its legitimate functions and to make it an operationally viable and socially acceptable organizational unit, adequate policy and institutional support seem to be necessary. 1994 2014-06-13T13:51:09Z 2014-06-13T13:51:09Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/39109 en Open Access application/pdf International Irrigation Management Institute International Water Management Institute Bandaragoda, D. J.; Saeed ur Rehman. 1994. Institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in Punjab: a case study of the Lower Chenab Canal (East) Circle Area. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI). xv, 60p. (IIMI Working Paper 028) https://hdl.handle.net/10568/39109 |
| spellingShingle | land reclamation soil salinity irrigated sites irrigation canals irrigation water institutions legal aspects irrigation scheduling water availability irrigated farming case studies Bandaragoda, Don Jayatissa Saeed ur Rehman Institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in Punjab: a case study of the Lower Chenab Canal (East) Circle Area |
| title | Institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in Punjab: a case study of the Lower Chenab Canal (East) Circle Area |
| title_full | Institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in Punjab: a case study of the Lower Chenab Canal (East) Circle Area |
| title_fullStr | Institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in Punjab: a case study of the Lower Chenab Canal (East) Circle Area |
| title_full_unstemmed | Institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in Punjab: a case study of the Lower Chenab Canal (East) Circle Area |
| title_short | Institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in Punjab: a case study of the Lower Chenab Canal (East) Circle Area |
| title_sort | institutional perspectives of land reclamation operations in punjab a case study of the lower chenab canal east circle area |
| topic | land reclamation soil salinity irrigated sites irrigation canals irrigation water institutions legal aspects irrigation scheduling water availability irrigated farming case studies |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/39109 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bandaragodadonjayatissa institutionalperspectivesoflandreclamationoperationsinpunjabacasestudyofthelowerchenabcanaleastcirclearea AT saeedurrehman institutionalperspectivesoflandreclamationoperationsinpunjabacasestudyofthelowerchenabcanaleastcirclearea |