Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development journal homepage: http://aessweb.com/journal-detail.php?id=5005 Impact Assessment of Water Crisis on Socio Economic Life of Agrarian Community Raja Irfan Sabir Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal, Pakistan Muhammad Irfan and Naeem Akhtar MS Scholar; Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal, Pakistan Farooq Nawaz MBA student; Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal, Pakistan Muhammad Shahnawaz Independent Researcher, Pakistan Abstract The objectives of the present study will be to explore the effects of scarcity of water on farmers’ socio economic values & standard of living while taking adoption of water saving technologies or better water resource management plan by farmers as moderating variable. A sample of 150 household farmers in district Okara was selected through multistage sampling techniques. A well structured questionnaire was designed on five point licker scale covering various dimensions of water crises and their impact on socio economic dimension of farmer’s lives. For data analysis quantitative techniques of multiple regression & regression for moderation were applied by using SPSS 16. Keywords: Water crises, socio economic problems, irrigation, productivity Introduction/ back ground of 1999-2000, the total irrigated area in research problem1 Pakistan was 181,000 km². Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the Majority of water reservoirs are in national economy of Pakistan. 65% of total Punjab—because Punjab is the hub of population of Pakistan is living in villages agriculture production and largest province and their major source of livelihood in terms of population as well as yield depends upon agriculture. Pakistan has the consumption. The land area in Punjab is largest world irrigation system its irrigation about 14.3 million hectares that contributes strength three times more than that of one-fourth of country’s total Russia. Pakistan has the world's largest gross domestic product (GDP) Okara and interconnected irrigation canal system. In Sahiwal regions are most fertile agriculture areas of Punjab. Major crops in this area Corresponding author’s are potato, wheat and maize. Rain fall Name: Muhammad Irfan position is not too favorable in this middle Email address: [email protected] area of Punjab as it touches southern 429 Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 4(8)2014: 429-436 Punjab so ground water is not enough for Theoretical foundations & literature agrarians needs. Sutlaj and Ravi passes review through Okara but these rivers are under the control of India (Reference Indus water Water crises treaty; 1960) so these are filled most of the Water crises is a situation when there is time in flood. But unfortunately, Pakistani scarcity of water resources or level of farmers are facing serious water shortage quality is not match able relative to human problem in these days. Water is basic demands for it. source for all human needs either social or economic. As population both urban and Agriculture sector depends maximum on rural is increasing rapidly, water needs in irrigation as it accounts 90% into output of all spheres like agriculture, industrial, agriculture in Pakistan. (Afzal, 1996). energy and development sectors is rising. According to survey, irrigation water This results in severe pressure on level of requirements for the year 2000 and 2013 ground and surface water as well as on eco would be 143.1 and 206.4 MAF system of our land. respectively and shortfall will increase from 107.8 MAF in year 2013 to 150.8 Significance of study MAF in year 2025. (Mulk and Agriculture is the back bone of our Mohtadullah, 1991). economy and it needs water for meeting human and industrial needs but right after Water situation for the upcoming years has independence India is occupying major been projected at 107.3 and 126.6 MAF (if sources of rivers. As maximum land is 3 dams namely Kalabagh, Basha and Dassu irrigated by irrigation water in our country are operationalized) in year 2013 and 2025 so if there is scarcity of irrigation water, respectively (Afzal, 1996). there will be socio-economic implications. Our purpose of conducting this study is to There are several ways of defining water explore the socio-economic implications on scarcity. The definition here refers to water the life of the farmers due to water scarcity as: the condition when aggregate shortage. Moreover literature will help us demand by all sectors of economy is not to devise different water saving techniques full filled by aggregate supply from all for agriculture and making an water resources (UN, 2006). Water environmentally sustainable water consumption is rising at very fast rate; management plan for Pakistan. more than twice the rate of population increase. By 2025, 1 800 million people This research will give insight not only into will be making their lives in countries with socio economic problems due to the water significant water shortage, and two-thirds crises such as irrigation water disputes, less of the world population would be under cultivation, lack of interest of livestock but severe water crises. Water is essential also will given useful insights for future element for irrigation of agricultural lands environmental sustainable water resource that why it is most valuable input for management system in Pakistan. farmers. Irrigation is defined by Galbraith, et al. (2005) in discussion paper as Research problem irrigation is used because it gives more Haq & Khan (2002) reported in Pakistan productivity and output to land by applying water concerns on the problem of shortage water in right time. of water that crops productivity is decreasing in agriculture sector due to Out of 16.23 million hectors land, 11.42 water crises for irrigation. million hectors is irrigated by cannel water and 4.03 by tube well water and remaining 0.78 hectares by miscellaneous sources (WAPDA, 2009). 430 Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development, 4(8)2014: 429-436 As per the World Bank and Asian agriculture land in Punjab (Afzal, 1996) Development Bank of Pakistan it is stated Research done on effect of water crises on that Pakistan is falling in water stressed crops by institute of agriculture extension nations as compared to its population and rural development UAF in Faisalabad needs. It will face severe water shortage it was observed that farmers community due to rapid urbanization and increasing prefers canal water for farming but due to population over the next five years. It will limited supply of canal water they are result in water crises in all sectors including forced to depend on tube well water which irrigation, energy, industry, domestic increases their cost of farming due to consumption and agriculture. As per Water severe energy crises as well as rising fuel Board report water position in Pakistan has prices Asim, et al. 2012. reduced from 5,000 cubic meters per capita to 1,000 cubic meters in 2010, and is Since independence Pakistan had only two expected to further fall to 800 cubic meters dams Mangla & Tarbela for meeting per capita by 2020. agriculture and energy requirements and agriculture needs are fulfilled through Global population growth is making an natural resources like rivers, lakes, glaciers increase in the demand for yield like wheat and rains while artificial sources are dams by 1.27% annually between 2000 and 2025 and reservoirs for excess water storage (Rosegrant and Cai, 2000). Agriculture used for irrigation purposes but due to constitutes 70 percent of all water rapidly rising population and slow consumption globally and nearly 95 percent development of water resources our per in most of the developing countries. acre water supply is decreasing seriously so we need to construct more small and large As per the United Nations' "UN World dams as well as initiate water saving Water Development Report", the aggregate techniques in our methods of cultivation renewable water resources have decreased (Ahmad et al., 2007). Since the scope of from 2,961 m³ per capita in 2000 to 1,420 this paper is to see the impact of crises of m³ per capita in 2005 making alarming major sources of water on crops and picture of recent past years. economic life of farmers, major sources of water in agriculture are ground water, canal After independence in the regime of Field water and tube well water. We will marshal Gen. Ayub Khan, India got the investigate through this research the impact advantage to fully use water of the three of water crises of these sources on eastern rivers; Ravi, Bias and Sutlej, while economic life of farming community and to Pakistan had right to use water of three recommend water saving techniques for western rivers; Indus, Chenab and Jhelum sustainable environment friendly water according to the Indus Water Treaty (IWT). resource management. Many intellectuals and economist claim that, if India continued to build dams on Water resource management (adoption Chenab and Jhelum rivers, then there will of water saving technologies) be serious effects on Pakistan’s As per report of ministry of water and agriculture, industry and safety (Sharif, power Pakistan is making work on 2010). construction of new dams; Gomal Zam Dam project, Mirani Dam project, Mangla The factors playing major role in water Dam raising project and Sabakzai Dam shortage are raising population, climatic Project.