Economics of Water Use on Different Classes of Saline and Alkali Land in the Semi-arid Plains of West Pakistan

Soil salinity and alkali pose a major problem for agriculture in West Pakistan. According to one estimate [5, p. 39], out of the gross area of 46.5 million acres of the Indus Plains, 4.8 million acres were strongly saline and 11.1 million acres were partially affected by salinity. Although soil alkali was also recognized as a problem [1], it was generally considered to be of limited extent. Its full significance was realized only after studies in 1962 and 1963 by the Water and Soil Investigation Division of WAPDA and the US Salinity Laboratory in the Salinity Control and Reclamation Project No. 1 (WAPDA 1966). The soil surveys carried out by the Soil Survey Project of Pakistan have subsequently provided further information on saline and alkali soils.