**7. Recommendations and conclusion**

No doubt the Indus irrigation system is one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. It provides food, jobs, and recreational resources for Pakistani and Indian people, but in the race of extensive water use, the environmental resources of Indus basin have been compromised. Natural flow and discharge of rivers have been altered

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in a proper working condition.

*Vulnerability of Environmental Resources in Indus Basin after the Development of Irrigation…*

by the construction of massive structures. At the beginning of irrigation system development, the groundwater level raised, and it changed the vegetation pattern in the region along with the intensive agricultural activities favored by a large supply of irrigation water. Large-scale agricultural activities attracted the human population to be settled in this region, thus making it one of the thickly populated regions in the world. This situation created an environmental disaster in the region. Indiscriminate human activities contaminated surface and groundwater resources through industrial and agricultural chemicals. Several types of diseases and human abnormalities have been reported from this region due to excessive use of the chemicals in the urban and rural areas. The Indus River, once regarded as the Mighty Indus, has already turned into an ordinary polluted river. The situation is now or never, and we have to take some concrete measures to restore the natural flow of the river and develop efficient technologies to get maximum crop yield with minimum use of water. The sustainable

approach could be beneficial for the future of rivers and human population.

ensure the minimum use of surface and groundwater for irrigation purposes.

River pollution is one of the major threats to the ecological resources. It causes substantial damages to the fauna and flora of aquatic ecosystem. Industries use many types of chemicals in their manufacturing processes, and majority of water used to wash off the chemicals is drained into rivers without proper treatment. Commercial and residential areas also generate a large amount of municipal sewerage water that finds its way to the river without any treatment. Industrial and municipal waste water treatment should be ensured with strict rules and regulations. Continuous monitoring of treatment plants should be ensured to keep them

Pakistan and India are in a developmental race to take control over the Indus water resources in order to improve their economy and to minimize the shortfall of electricity in the region. Construction of massive hydroelectric projects and diversion channels has adversely affected the natural river course. Currently, it is impossible to predict the situation of Indus River in the upcoming years when the water resources are being exhausted rapidly. Sustainable use of water resources can be

After 150 years of the development of irrigation systems, most of the environmentalists come up with a conclusion that sustainable environmental management of rivers must be ensured. The authorities should maintain minimum ecological flow downstream to sustain the ecological conditions of river. Fish and other organism communities have been constantly declining due to decreasing water level and fragmentation of their habitat. Further pressure has been exerted on the fish population by intensive fishing and using illegal fishing nets. Policies must be implemented by keeping in view the maintaining of the minimum flow of water in river to support the ecological health of Indus River system. To avoid habitat fragmentation, upstream and downstream habitats should be connected through functional fish ladders. Fishing activities must be monitored regularly, and fishermen community should be encouraged to use legal gears for fishing activities. Human activities in the catchment area and indiscriminate use of water from Indus River system are at full swing on both sides of Pakistan and India. Due to intensive agriculture, the river water is becoming insufficient to meet the irrigational demands despite a well-established irrigation system. Groundwater extraction is carried out for compensating the shortage of surface water resulting in the lowering of groundwater table. Increasing urbanization and development of industrial sector enhanced the utilization of subsurface water for the human consumption and industrial manufacturing. Groundwater aquifers have been exhausted down to the depth of several hundred feet in majority of the areas of Indus basin. Both countries must sign a new agreement for the stringent control of the noxious human activities. They must work on drought-resistant crop varieties to

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86722*

### *Vulnerability of Environmental Resources in Indus Basin after the Development of Irrigation… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86722*

by the construction of massive structures. At the beginning of irrigation system development, the groundwater level raised, and it changed the vegetation pattern in the region along with the intensive agricultural activities favored by a large supply of irrigation water. Large-scale agricultural activities attracted the human population to be settled in this region, thus making it one of the thickly populated regions in the world. This situation created an environmental disaster in the region. Indiscriminate human activities contaminated surface and groundwater resources through industrial and agricultural chemicals. Several types of diseases and human abnormalities have been reported from this region due to excessive use of the chemicals in the urban and rural areas. The Indus River, once regarded as the Mighty Indus, has already turned into an ordinary polluted river. The situation is now or never, and we have to take some concrete measures to restore the natural flow of the river and develop efficient technologies to get maximum crop yield with minimum use of water. The sustainable approach could be beneficial for the future of rivers and human population.

After 150 years of the development of irrigation systems, most of the environmentalists come up with a conclusion that sustainable environmental management of rivers must be ensured. The authorities should maintain minimum ecological flow downstream to sustain the ecological conditions of river. Fish and other organism communities have been constantly declining due to decreasing water level and fragmentation of their habitat. Further pressure has been exerted on the fish population by intensive fishing and using illegal fishing nets. Policies must be implemented by keeping in view the maintaining of the minimum flow of water in river to support the ecological health of Indus River system. To avoid habitat fragmentation, upstream and downstream habitats should be connected through functional fish ladders. Fishing activities must be monitored regularly, and fishermen community should be encouraged to use legal gears for fishing activities.

Human activities in the catchment area and indiscriminate use of water from Indus River system are at full swing on both sides of Pakistan and India. Due to intensive agriculture, the river water is becoming insufficient to meet the irrigational demands despite a well-established irrigation system. Groundwater extraction is carried out for compensating the shortage of surface water resulting in the lowering of groundwater table. Increasing urbanization and development of industrial sector enhanced the utilization of subsurface water for the human consumption and industrial manufacturing. Groundwater aquifers have been exhausted down to the depth of several hundred feet in majority of the areas of Indus basin. Both countries must sign a new agreement for the stringent control of the noxious human activities. They must work on drought-resistant crop varieties to ensure the minimum use of surface and groundwater for irrigation purposes.

River pollution is one of the major threats to the ecological resources. It causes substantial damages to the fauna and flora of aquatic ecosystem. Industries use many types of chemicals in their manufacturing processes, and majority of water used to wash off the chemicals is drained into rivers without proper treatment. Commercial and residential areas also generate a large amount of municipal sewerage water that finds its way to the river without any treatment. Industrial and municipal waste water treatment should be ensured with strict rules and regulations. Continuous monitoring of treatment plants should be ensured to keep them in a proper working condition.

Pakistan and India are in a developmental race to take control over the Indus water resources in order to improve their economy and to minimize the shortfall of electricity in the region. Construction of massive hydroelectric projects and diversion channels has adversely affected the natural river course. Currently, it is impossible to predict the situation of Indus River in the upcoming years when the water resources are being exhausted rapidly. Sustainable use of water resources can be

*Irrigation - Water Productivity and Operation, Sustainability and Climate Change*

Development of irrigation system structures such as dams and barrages has led to the fragmentation of Indus River into 17 sections which resulted in extirpation of dolphins from 10 sections. They were found to be present in only 6 out of 17 sections of the river due to the usage of river water for irrigation and low water discharges in the dry season. Spatial and temporal distribution patterns were affected by habitat fragmentation, and, combined with habitat degradation, it contributed to the decline of the dolphin population [55]. The whole length of the Indus River used to be the habitat of dolphins, but this area has now been restricted to only 20% of total length due to habitat fragmentation. Chemical pollution and accidental death by fishing gears are some of the potential factors for the decline in the dolphin population [65]. Sometimes, dolphins get trapped in the canals, fail to return back into the river, and eventually die. In the downstream area of Sukkur Barrage, the river channel is highly constricted, and dolphins are subjected to intensive fishing activities mainly in the winter season [66]. Natural processes have the potential to contaminate water resources, but with the development of irrigation system and residential colonies, the agricultural system became widespread, and a large number of industries came into existence. Anthropogenic activities in agriculture and industries cause discharges of fertilizers, pesticides, chemicals, heavy metals, and pathogens that can degrade the water quality and can cause negative effects on human health. Fertilizers and pesticides used in the agricultural areas are washed off and drained into surface and groundwater aquifers. The water requirements are high in the urban areas, and they contribute to water pollution by the production of municipal sewerage and leaching from solid waste generated. Water affected both qualitatively and quantitatively making it unsuitable for the human and animal consumption. As the Indus River flows downward, the effects of deterioration are intensified as a large volume of untreated effluents from agricultural, industrial, domestic, and commercial areas enter into the river on its way. Throughout the river channel, concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus organic matter, pesticides, and mercury are present at an alarming level. Most of the effluent dumped into the river comes from the agricultural sector alone, while industries, households, and urbanized areas being the other major sources [67].

Indus delta is rich in biodiversity, and mangroves were a very important ecological resource in the lower Indus basin. Reduced water flow, pollution of rivers, and usage of mangroves as fodder and fuel have reduced the mangrove species. The population of mangroves has declined to a threatened level by pollution and anthropogenic activities [68]. With the decline in mangrove population, the spawning and rearing sites of many fish and macroinvertebrate species have been destroyed causing a decline in the population of those species. The flow of water in Sutlej River has almost gone to zero due to upstream storage by India. The river channel has been converted into a sandy desert with no water at all losing all the scenic values associated with its original aquatic ecosystem. As the river dried up, agriculture declined, and biodiversity was rapidly declined which disturbed the regional ecology. People moved from the dry areas, and all the developed infrastructure was destroyed. Sutlej Valley developed because the river began to die as the people migrated out of the area due to perished livelihood. Much of the culture of this valley has already been lost, and if not managed for a few more years, the civilization will be completely vanished [69].

No doubt the Indus irrigation system is one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. It provides food, jobs, and recreational resources for Pakistani and Indian people, but in the race of extensive water use, the environmental resources of Indus basin have been compromised. Natural flow and discharge of rivers have been altered

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**7. Recommendations and conclusion**

helpful in minimizing the ecological damages at the expense of economic development. Both countries should modify their developmental policies by limiting the human interventions in the natural course of rivers. In this way river system's natural condition could be sustained.

Considering the pace of hydrological development on the Indus River System, Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) must be implemented especially in Pakistan as it is the only water source of the country [70]. It is important to efficiently utilize all the available surface and groundwater. Optimum amount of water should be allocated to each sector and area to reduce the pressure on groundwater resources. Farmers can be educated to use the modern agriculture practices and drought-resistant crops in order to save water. Infrastructure for the storage of water can be enhanced by the government to reduce the impacts of low water season on the economy of agricultural community. Restriction on the excessive usage of pesticide and fertilizers on crops should be enforced to avoid water pollution. Moreover, it has been observed that Indus Water Treaty was the need of time, but it needs a lot of improvements to meet the environmental issues of changing climate and rising tensions between India and Pakistan. Both countries must negotiate to bring some new provisions in the treaty to maintain a minimum amount of water in the river system necessary for the ecological requirements of the basin. At this stage, if the Indus River system is not managed sustainably, the system may undergo irreversible damages that can never be undone.
