Overview of drip irrigation: potential,

issues and constraints

Dr Muhammad Ashraf

International Center for Agricultural Research in

the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
December 31, 2012

Water: An Essential Element of Life

(AL QURAN)

Minimum domestic water requirement = 50 liter/person/day (20 m3/person/year)

To produce 1 kg cereal grains requires 1 m3 water (1,000 liters)
To produce 1 kg beef requires 13.5 m3 of water (13,500 liters)
A typical diet requires 5,400 liters/person/day
A vegetarian diet of the same nutritional value requires 2,600 liters
70 times more water to grow food than directly use for domestic purposes

Water: A Gift of God

Have you observed the water you drink? Do you

bring it down from the rain clouds? Or do We? If it
were Our will, We could make it salty. Then why
are you not Thankful.

Water: A Finite Source

And e send down water from the sky according to (due)

measure, and We cause it to soak in the soil; and We
certainly are able to drain it off (with easy). With it We grow
for you gardens of date-palms and vines: in them have ye
abundant fruits: and of them Ye eat (and have enjoyment).

Irrigation?
Artificial application of water to crop
How to apply? surface (basin, border,
furrow), pressurized (sprinkler, bubbler, drip)
How much to apply?
When to apply?

Efficiency of Irrigation Methods

Least Efficient
Flood Irrigation
Furrow Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation
Bubbler Irrigation
Drip Irrigation

Most Efficient

Advantages of Drip irrigation

High application efficiency

High yield/quality
Decreased energy requirements
Reduced salinity hazard
Adaptable for chemigation
Reduced weed growth and disease
problems
Can be highly automated

Limitations of of Drip Irrigation

High initial cost
Maintenance requirements (emitter
clogging, etc.)
Restricted plant root development
Salt accumulation near plants (along the
edges of the wetted zone)
Applications of insoluble or slightly soluble
fertilizers such as super phosphate or
sulphate of potash is not readily possible

Worldwide Adaptation
World irrigated land: 276 Mha
Three-quarters of the worlds irrigated area
in developing countries
Sprinkler: 5% of irrigated land of the world
mostly in developed countries
Trickle: 1% of worlds irrigated land
Even in Israel, where much of the early research and development was done and
water is very scarce, trickle has not flourished as much as might be thought.

Coverage of Sprinkler and Drip Irrigation

Country

As percentage of total irrigated

area

China

France

90

India

South Africa

37

United States

21

Percentage of Irrigation Methods in some Islamic Countries

Country

Surface

Sprinkler

Drip

Cyprus

95

Egypt

82

10

Jordan

32

60

Morocco

85

13

Oman

94

Saudi Arabia

34

64

Syria

97

Tunisia

81

17

Turkey

95

UAE

58

21

21

Potential Areas in Pakistan

Pothwar Plateau
Desert and Semi Desert Areas
Uplands of Balochistan
Riverian Belts
Green Houses/Tunnels

Experience in Pakistan

Sprinkler and Drip Irrigation Research Scheme Khushab

Demonstrate pressurized irrigation
systems in the rainfed areas of Punjab
Explore possibilities of local
manufacturing

Started in 1982
Sprinkler Systems: 16
Drip Irrigation Systems: 3

The project could not yield the desired

results due to:
Inadequate training of the beneficiaries
Lack of backup support

OECF Assisted OFWM-III Project (1991-2000)

Drip irrigation Systems: 3
Raingun sprinklers: 5
Hand Moved Sprinkler: 1

Second Barani Area Development Project (1990-1998)

Portable Raingun
(Local Made *)

Provision of 159 Rainguns to farmers

Drip Irrigation (Local

Made **)

System Installed on 130 acres of

orchard

*MECO, **Griffen

Chinese Drip Irrigation

Installed in Rawalpindi - Punjab
Installed Tando Ghulam Ali - Sindh

Badly failed due to:

Improper farmer selection
Heavy/improper design of the system
Lack of backup support

Water Conservation and Productivity Enhancement

Through High Efficiency Irrigation Systems
Cost

Rs. 18.00 Billion

Duration

5 Years ( 2007 - 2012 )

Area of Implementation

All Pakistan (291,249 acres)

Sr.

Items

Units

No.

Project Years
I

II

III

IV

TOTAL

Physical Targets
1.

Micro Irrigation
System

Acres

1,312

44,067

45,209

44,071

29,102

163,761

2.

Sprinkler
Irrigation System

Acres

820

34,216

34,985

34,216

23,251

127,488

Acres

2,132

78,283

80,194

78,287

52,353

291,249

Total

Punjab Irrigated Agriculture Productivity Improvement Project (PIPIP)

Installation of Drip and Sprinkler

irrigation systems on 120,000 acres

Pressurized Irrigation Systems in Balochistan

Drip irrigation systems
Bubbler irrigation system
Sprinkler irrigation systems
Area: 35 Mha (44% of Pakistan)
Population: 7.54 million (5% of country population)
Culturable land: 19.4 Mha
Cultivated land: 2.07 Mha (11%)
Fruit area: 0.221 Mha
Fruit production: 0.9 million tons
Runoff potential: 14.8 BCM
Runoff harvested: 3.7 BCM (25%)

Evaluation of Drip Irrigation installed in Balochistan

Agencies

No. of
systems

Operational

Non% non
operational operational

Asian Development
Bank

89

20

69

79

FAO/UNDP

11

45

PCRWR

33

Total

106

30

76

73

Issues in the Adoption of Drip Irrigation

High capital cost

Non-availability of local material
No back up support
Complicated/over design system
Small land holdings
Lack of knowledge about irrigation scheduling
Farmers misconceptions about the system
Flat rate of electricity

Simple, Low Cost Drip Irrigation Systems