Climate Change Impact on Groundwater-Based Livelihood in Soan River Basin of Pakistan (South Asia) Based on the Perception of Local Farmers
Based on the perceptions of the local farmers, this study aims to assess the effects of socioeconomic factors and climatic change on the groundwater livelihood system, with a particular focus on in situ Persian wheels/dug wells. Farmers’ perceptions of climate change and how it is affecting their wa...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1287 |
| _version_ | 1797607002682163200 |
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| author | Bashir Ahmad Muhammad Umer Nadeem Tie Liu Muhammad Asif Filza Fatima Rizvi Ali Kamran Zeeshan Tahir Virk Muhammad Khalid Jamil Naveed Mustafa Salar Saeed Akhtar Abbas |
| author_facet | Bashir Ahmad Muhammad Umer Nadeem Tie Liu Muhammad Asif Filza Fatima Rizvi Ali Kamran Zeeshan Tahir Virk Muhammad Khalid Jamil Naveed Mustafa Salar Saeed Akhtar Abbas |
| author_sort | Bashir Ahmad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Based on the perceptions of the local farmers, this study aims to assess the effects of socioeconomic factors and climatic change on the groundwater livelihood system, with a particular focus on in situ Persian wheels/dug wells. Farmers’ perceptions of climate change and how it is affecting their way of life in the Soan River Basin have also been evaluated to determine the most appropriate adaptive interventions. Information and literature about dug wells was unavailable, which stressed the need to carry out this survey. A structured close-ended questionnaire was designed and administered with as much quantitative data as possible. Random sampling opted for a 5 km buffer zone across the Soan River and its tributaries. Union councils having more than 50% of their area lying in the buffer zone were surveyed, and data was collected. Fifty UCs fell within this criterion, and six dug wells from each Union Council were surveyed. The results of our survey collecting local farmer’s perceptions determined that about 70% of respondents agreed about climate change in the Soan Basin of Pakistan, and 62% of farmers reported that climate change severely impacted their livelihood by affecting agricultural productivity and water availability. Ninety-two percent reported summer becoming hot, 72% highlighted that winters are becoming less cold, and 96% reported that average annual rainfall has decreased compared to 10 years before. About 72% of respondents indicated that available water in their dug wells had decreased, and 80% of respondents explained that their crop yield had decreased compared to 10 years before. Sixty percent preferred drip and 35% sprinkler irrigation as efficient water management practices to cope with water shortages. Ninety-five percent of farmers were ready to use solar pumps for irrigation to tame high pumping costs. The study recommends integrating solar pumping with drip and sprinkler irrigation systems to enhance farmers’ cropped area and productivity. These vulnerable farmers can enhance their resilience and profitability by adopting high-value agriculture (tunnel farming, off-season vegetables, etc.) instead of conventional crops. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:22:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c468da4b59d14ad9a56a609966bbbdc8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:22:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-c468da4b59d14ad9a56a609966bbbdc82023-11-17T17:49:15ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412023-03-01157128710.3390/w15071287Climate Change Impact on Groundwater-Based Livelihood in Soan River Basin of Pakistan (South Asia) Based on the Perception of Local FarmersBashir Ahmad0Muhammad Umer Nadeem1Tie Liu2Muhammad Asif3Filza Fatima Rizvi4Ali Kamran5Zeeshan Tahir Virk6Muhammad Khalid Jamil7Naveed Mustafa8Salar Saeed9Akhtar Abbas10Climate Energy and Water Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad 44000, PakistanClimate Energy and Water Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad 44000, PakistanChina-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences, CAS-HEC, Islamabad 45320, PakistanClimate Energy and Water Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad 44000, PakistanNUST School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUST, Islamabad 44000, PakistanClimate Energy and Water Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad 44000, PakistanWater, Energy and Environmental Engineering Unit, Faculty of Technology, University of Oulu, 90570 Oulu, FinlandClimate Energy and Water Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad 44000, PakistanClimate Energy and Water Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad 44000, PakistanAgrosphere (IBG-3), Institute of Bio and Geosciences, Forschungszentrum Jülich University, 52428 Jülich, GermanyClimate Energy and Water Research Institute, National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad 44000, PakistanBased on the perceptions of the local farmers, this study aims to assess the effects of socioeconomic factors and climatic change on the groundwater livelihood system, with a particular focus on in situ Persian wheels/dug wells. Farmers’ perceptions of climate change and how it is affecting their way of life in the Soan River Basin have also been evaluated to determine the most appropriate adaptive interventions. Information and literature about dug wells was unavailable, which stressed the need to carry out this survey. A structured close-ended questionnaire was designed and administered with as much quantitative data as possible. Random sampling opted for a 5 km buffer zone across the Soan River and its tributaries. Union councils having more than 50% of their area lying in the buffer zone were surveyed, and data was collected. Fifty UCs fell within this criterion, and six dug wells from each Union Council were surveyed. The results of our survey collecting local farmer’s perceptions determined that about 70% of respondents agreed about climate change in the Soan Basin of Pakistan, and 62% of farmers reported that climate change severely impacted their livelihood by affecting agricultural productivity and water availability. Ninety-two percent reported summer becoming hot, 72% highlighted that winters are becoming less cold, and 96% reported that average annual rainfall has decreased compared to 10 years before. About 72% of respondents indicated that available water in their dug wells had decreased, and 80% of respondents explained that their crop yield had decreased compared to 10 years before. Sixty percent preferred drip and 35% sprinkler irrigation as efficient water management practices to cope with water shortages. Ninety-five percent of farmers were ready to use solar pumps for irrigation to tame high pumping costs. The study recommends integrating solar pumping with drip and sprinkler irrigation systems to enhance farmers’ cropped area and productivity. These vulnerable farmers can enhance their resilience and profitability by adopting high-value agriculture (tunnel farming, off-season vegetables, etc.) instead of conventional crops.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1287climate changegroundwater utilizationlocal farmers’ perceptionirrigation technologiesSoan River |
| spellingShingle | Bashir Ahmad Muhammad Umer Nadeem Tie Liu Muhammad Asif Filza Fatima Rizvi Ali Kamran Zeeshan Tahir Virk Muhammad Khalid Jamil Naveed Mustafa Salar Saeed Akhtar Abbas Climate Change Impact on Groundwater-Based Livelihood in Soan River Basin of Pakistan (South Asia) Based on the Perception of Local Farmers Water climate change groundwater utilization local farmers’ perception irrigation technologies Soan River |
| title | Climate Change Impact on Groundwater-Based Livelihood in Soan River Basin of Pakistan (South Asia) Based on the Perception of Local Farmers |
| title_full | Climate Change Impact on Groundwater-Based Livelihood in Soan River Basin of Pakistan (South Asia) Based on the Perception of Local Farmers |
| title_fullStr | Climate Change Impact on Groundwater-Based Livelihood in Soan River Basin of Pakistan (South Asia) Based on the Perception of Local Farmers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate Change Impact on Groundwater-Based Livelihood in Soan River Basin of Pakistan (South Asia) Based on the Perception of Local Farmers |
| title_short | Climate Change Impact on Groundwater-Based Livelihood in Soan River Basin of Pakistan (South Asia) Based on the Perception of Local Farmers |
| title_sort | climate change impact on groundwater based livelihood in soan river basin of pakistan south asia based on the perception of local farmers |
| topic | climate change groundwater utilization local farmers’ perception irrigation technologies Soan River |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/7/1287 |
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