| ID | 082507 |
| Title Proper | Karez versus tubewell irrigation |
| Other Title Information | the comparative social acceptability and practicality of sustainable groundwater development in Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Mustafa, Daanish ; Qazi, Muhammad Usman |
| Publication | 2008. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | This article presents the results of a field study undertaken in the province of Balochistan, Pakistan, to understand the experience and impact of an ongoing programme of transitioning from karez (an ancient mode of tapping groundwater) to tubewell irrigation on social equity, livelihoods, community cohesion and environmental quality. The article explores how changes in water management techniques and technologies are influenced by and, in turn, impact social power relations at various scales. Analyses of the field study results and policy context of groundwater management in Balochistan reveals that the transition from karez to tubewell irrigation was neither inevitable nor necessarily more advantageous but, rather, the outcome of deliberate policy choices by the government. The diffusion of tubewells is putting traditional communal modes of power in communities under stress and, in places, replacing them with the power of large farmers. At the policy level, the differential power of the discourse of modernization, coupled with the compensatory power of large farmers, is facilitating the rapid diffusion of tubewells in Balochistan. The transition from karez to tubewell irrigation also is having negative consequences for social equity and environmental quality. The article concludes by proposing specific policy initiatives that may help save and rehabilitate the rapidly dwindling karez irrigation in Balochistan |
| `In' analytical Note | Contemporary South Asia Vol. 16, No.2; Jun 2008: p171-195 |
| Journal Source | Contemporary South Asia Vol. 16, No.2; Jun 2008: p171-195 |
| Key Words | Ground Water ; Water Development ; Pakistan |