Waterlogging and Salinity in West Pakistan: An Analysis of the Revelle Report (Review Article)

In 1961 during the state visit by President Mohammad Ayub Khan to the United States, the two Presidents discussed the problem of waterlogging and salinity and its implications for economic development in Pakistan. As a result of this meeting, a Panel of U.S. experts was assembled to study the problem. This Panel was composed of specialists in agriculture, hydrology, engineering and social sciences; its chairman was Dr. Roger Revelle, Science Adviser to the United States Secretary of the Interior. The Panel’s Report1 was submitted to the President of Pakistan in September 1962, with the comment that it should be considered as being still in preliminary draft form and subject to continuing revisions as comments from other experts in the field are received. The present article is based on this preliminary version of the Revelle Report. While there may be changes in detail, we have assumed that the broad conclusions embodied in the Report will remain unchanged.