Open AccessWaterlogging and Salinity in the Indus Plain: Comment
Author(s) -
Frank M. Eaton
Publication year - 1965
Publication title -
pakistan development review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.154
H-Index - 26
ISSN - 0030-9729
DOI - 10.30541/v5i3pp.381-392
Subject(s) - indus , waterlogging (archaeology) , floodplain , flood myth , hydrology (agriculture) , irrigation , alluvial plain , water resource management , groundwater , drainage , salinity , geology , environmental science , geography , wetland , archaeology , geomorphology , ecology , structural basin , paleontology , oceanography , cartography , geotechnical engineering , biology
Not only does Ghulam Mohammad's contribution on waterloggingand salinity in the Indus Plain [5] reflect a wide understanding of theagricultural problems of Pakistan but the clarity of his presentation iscommendable. My comments all have to do with water quality and drainageproblems in this vast irrigated area with the future rather than theimmediately present problems primarily in mind. I trust that allstatements will be regarded as constructive rather than critical. Thechanges now occurring with irrigation in the compositions of theinitially high-quality canal waters of the Indus Plain as these watersbecome groundwaters, appear to be little different from the past changeswhich occurred more slowly but which are responsible for the diversecompositions of the present groundwaters. Many of these present-daygroundwaters were left be hind by the flood waters which deposited thevalley alluvium. The flood waters left on the land surface underwentconcentration by evapotranspiration with precipitations of CaCO3 andlosses of Mg in the form of compounds of salica. As a result of theseprecipitations there were increases in the proportions of Na.