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STATUS AND PROSPECTS OF KAREZ IRRIGATION 1
Author(s) -
Kahlown Muhammad Akram,
Hamilton Joel R.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1994.tb03279.x
Subject(s) - irrigation , threatened species , water resource management , irrigation management , environmental science , current (fluid) , environmental planning , low flow irrigation systems , natural resource economics , environmental resource management , geography , engineering , economics , ecology , habitat , electrical engineering , biology
The karez is a traditional irrigation water source, consisting of hand‐dug horizontal wells, that is still used in parts of South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. This paper describes the construction, management, and current problems of karez irrigation systems based on investigations conducted in Baluchistan Province, Pakistan. While karezes have served irrigation needs well in the past, they are now threatened by high costs of labor for construction and maintenance, and by the encroachment of tubewells which lower the water tables on which the karez systems depend. Possible methods for improving karez performance and needs for research are discussed.