Around 95 percent of farmers in Gilgit
Pakistan depend on traditional glacier-fed channels for irrigation. The
irrigation systems have been ineffective as a result of the glacier surface
being lowered as a result of global warming. As a consequence, most of the
arable land in Gilgit Pakistan remains underused because of the hilly region's
geography, which makes it difficult to pump water to agricultural regions from
the main river. Only 2% of the entire land area can be farmed, and of that,
only 50% is now being farmed. For water raising in an easy manner, hydraulic
ram pumps and solar pumps might be effective options.
WWF Pakistan and the Pakistan Council of
Water Resources Research tested hydraulic ram pumps to elevate river water for
agriculture in Gilgit Baltistan's Kebar hamlet. Using just the velocity of
flowing water as its primary power source, the pump distributes 14,400 liters
of water per day to tanks in the community located 50 meters above the river.
With the pump, tunnel farming, and drip irrigation, 2.5 acres of land may be
used to grow fruits and vegetables.
In the Gilgit Baltistan villages of
Tuppudin Passu and Morkhun, solar pumps and drip irrigation are being tested in
conjunction. An apple orchard was planted on 13 acres of land by the women's
group of a neighboring town, and this enabled the communities to grow their own
orchards. Women have grabbed the reins of the agricultural site, utilizing
their local expertise to cultivate seasonal vegetables and investigating market
links for the product by allowing irrigation water to be made available to
them. In the high mountains of Gilgit Baltistan, this zero-energy technique
helps increase agricultural output and food security. It is possible to
increase the amount of arable land in Pakistan's high mountain regions by using
these technologies.
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