KARACHI:
With approximately 35% of Pakistan’s land suffering from salinity, Dr. Fateh Marri, Vice Chancellor of Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), has announced plans to set up a bio-saline center. The center’s focus will be on creating strategies for the sustainable use and rehabilitation of saline-affected land, aiming to improve its agricultural productivity.
Dr. Marri emphasized the importance of using innovative methods to restore degraded lands, ensuring they can contribute to both agricultural growth and environmental preservation.
At a ceremony marking the completion of the project titled “Adapting to Salinity in the Southern Indus Basin,” Dr. Marri reviewed the achievements of the initiative. This project, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), was executed in collaboration with local institutions.
Dr. Marri shared statistics showing that 6.3 million hectares of land in Pakistan are affected by salinity and waterlogging. He called for the implementation of cutting-edge agricultural practices to combat these challenges.
He also presented a water management plan developed by the university and its partners. The plan includes monitoring water discharge at the regulators of 14 canals, assessing agricultural water use, and evaluating water productivity.
Dr. Inayatullah Rajper, Dean of the Faculty of Crop Production and focal person of the project, detailed experimental work conducted on saline land near Bulri Shah Karim, owned by Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Chatha. The research involved testing 26 plant and tree species, successfully cultivating Khirol, Chiku, Conocarpus, Sukh Chain, and Eucalyptus. These species showed promise in lowering soil salinity, paving the way for the development of forests and orchards on previously degraded land.
Dr. Bakhshal Lashari, the project’s National Coordinator, described the initiative as having global significance. With over 35 partner institutions involved, the projectβs findings are expected to be applied both nationally and internationally, offering economic and agricultural benefits.
