The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has provided reliable irrigation water to 600,000 farmers and 1.7 million hectares of farmland in Punjab through Trimmu and Panjnad barrages in Pakistan.
According to a video shared by the bank on its website, the upgradation of the Trimmu and Panjnad barrages has helped the province improve water resource management and increase agricultural productivity to enhance food security and build resilience against climate risks. The new technology has expanded the capacity to regulate the flow of water and protect vast farmlands from flooding.
“As Asia and the Pacific’s climate bank, ADB will continue to help make agriculture in Pakistan more climate resilient,” the bank said.
Commenting on the barrages and improvement of water flow, Country Director for Pakistan, Yong Ye, said, “ADB is helping Punjab province to improve water resource management and increase productivity of irrigated agriculture to ensure food security and to respond to climate change challenges.”
Farmers rely on the Trimmu and Panjnad barrages to regulate the flow of water and protect vast farmlands from flooding. However, due to its 90 years old structure and climate change was affecting the frequency and intensity of floods and droughts. But with the rehabilitation of the barrages, flood control has improved in the region.
The barrages have been installed with automatic gates and real-time monitoring allowing regulation of water flow. Previously, the manually controlled system required more people to handle and it was hard for staff to operate during floods.
Pakistan’s barrages were constructed almost 100 years ago and require up-gradation of almost their entire structure. Various donors are supporting this ongoing process, which is estimated to take a decade or so.
