Excessive salinity in soil costs Pakistan $522m yearly
It is a big problem for Pakistan that has a large agrarian economy as 5.33 million hectares are plagued by salinity and 1.55 million hectares by water-logging.
“The annual cost of crop losses from salinity has been estimated in the range of Rs15 billion to Rs55 billion,” said Ahmad Jawad, Regional Chairman of the FPCCI Standing Committee on Horticulture Exports, in a statement. He blamed continuous seepage along the irrigation network over the years and a lack of natural drainage that increased the level of groundwater.
Jawad pointed out that a study conducted by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) suggested that reforestation of the salt-affected soil was possible with the help of proper site preparation, choice of species and the development of nursery and planting techniques.
However, owing to extensive use of poor quality groundwater, the problem of secondary salinity is growing over an area of around 2 million hectares and it needs a reassessment.
1 (Pakistan) Rs = 0.0095 USD
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