Abstract:
This paper attempts at preliminary assessment of the expected impact of the canals planned to be taken out of the Munda dam on the farm sector in the command area of these canals. The Munda dam is proposed to be built on river Swat, near Shabqadar Town in District Charsadda. Besides producing 600 MW electricity, the Dam is designed to irrigate 29,380 acres of land in the command area of the canal to be taken out of the Dam. Perennial irrigation from the proposed canals would enable crop cultivation throughout the year do away with the costly tubewell based irrigation, lead to higher cropping intensity higher yields etc. Based on a sample survey of the farm households in the command area, it is concluded that the cropping intensity would rise to 180 percent as against the existing 83 percent. The number of crops in the area would increase to 12 as against 8 at present and the yields would rise in the case of all crops resulting in at least 18-folds increase in total farm production. The average annual total incremental farm production is projected to be 414602 metric tonnes (MT), cereals 20,628 MT; sugarcane 291180 MT; vegetables 82,011 MT; fruit 11,250 MT and fodder 9,533 MT. The chain of primary and secondary positive impacts would radically transform the command area`s economy and pave the way for sustained development of the Dam command area.
Page(s):
223-231
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Sarhad Journal of Agriculture, Volume: 23, Issue: 1, Year: 2007