LAHORE, Sept 27: The Irrigation and Power department paints a gloomy picture about the quality of groundwater all over the province as according to its recent study, 56 per cent samples of the pumped-out water have been found unfit for irrigation purposes.

Punjab planning and development department chairman Salman Ghani held a brainstorming session with secretaries and other high-ups of irrigation and environment departments here on last Thursday to discuss the issue and frame and implement a groundwater management strategy through a proposed institutional set-up, `Provincial Water Resources Council’.

The IPD had collected a total of 3,287 samples from seven groundwater-monitoring units. Of them, 56 per cent were found unfit because they had over and above the suitable levels of electrical conductivity, sodium absorption ratio and RSC, says the IPD report on groundwater quality status.

According to the report, Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur were worst-hit areas where 76 and 73 per cent samples were found unfit for irrigation purposes, respectively. The next on the list are Faisalabad (60 per cent) and Thal (Khushab) (57 per cent).

In Sargodha 49 per cent and in Multan and Lahore 45 and 41 per cent water samples, respectively, are found unfit for irrigation use.

More than 90 per cent of the total pumped-out groundwater is being used for irrigation purposes, and the rest for domestic and industrial use, adds the report.

It says more than 10,000 Scarp tubewells installed in 1960 in different areas of the province significantly contributed towards reducing the water level. Supplementing the irrigation water supply, these tubewells also encouraged farmers to install their own machines, approximately 700,000 at present, which are pumping out 4,782 million cubic metre water per annum only in LBDC area.

This uneven and uncontrolled pumping has started showing negative effects on the aquifer in the form of excessive drop in subsoil water table as well as its quality because of saline groundwater intrusion into the aquifer, reveals the report.

The Thursday’s meeting sought constitution of a groundwater steering committee under the proposed council. The committee will be responsible for framing a comprehensive policy and regulations for pumping out water, resource planning and implementation.

It is learnt that the IPD has already developed a draft on groundwater regulatory framework. —Amjad Mahmood