Research will be conducted under Australian govt.-funded project “Adapting to Salinity in the Southern Indus Basin”
Salinity has degraded 2.11 million hectares of land in Sindh
Tando Jam
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Sindh Agriculture University (SAU), Mehran University of Engineering & Technology University (MUET), Agriculture Research Sindh (ARS) and Sindh Irrigation Development Authority (SIDA) for joint research on the salinity in soil and groundwater in the agricultural lands of Sindh Province.
The research will be conducted under “Adapting to Salinity in the Southern Indus Basin (ASSIB)”, a project launched in collaboration with Australian Center for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR).
The experts from four institutions under the leadership of Sindh Agriculture University, and with the financial support of the Australian Government, will carry out a research project launched for dealing with salinity in the Southern Indus Basin.
The MoU signing ceremony was held at Sindh Agriculture University committee room, presided by Dr. Fateh Marri, Vice Chancellor, while Experts from Sindh Agriculture University, Mehran University, Agriculture Research Sindh and SIDA attended the meeting,
Prof. Dr. Altaf Siyal, Director ORIC SAU, Dr. Bakhshal Lashari, National Project Coordinator and Emeritus Professor MUET, Noor Muhammad Baloch Director General, Agriculture Research Sindh and Masroor Ahmed Shahwani, Institutional Specialist, SIDA singed the MoU.
It was decided that the ASSIB project will be headed by Dr. Fateh Marri, Vice Chancellor of Sindh Agriculture University.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Fateh Marri said that Sindh is the most affected province of Pakistan due to the presence of salts in soil and groundwater. “Through the joint research, all stakeholders will be able to map the affected areas and come up with sustainable solutions for the rehabilitation and greening of the affected lands despite the presence of salts,” he said.
Noor Mohammad Baloch, Director General, Agriculture Research Sindh, said that 2.11 million hectares of land in Sindh has been degraded due to salinity.
Dr. Bakhsh Lashari, National Coordinator, ASSIB, said the Farmers community of Sindh, experts, and students would be involved in the research; there will be research work on land and groundwater in collaboration with all stakeholders related to Mirpur Khas and Tando Muhammad Khan.
Dr. Nehaluddin Marri, Dr. Nabi Bakhsh Jamro, Bhavani Shankar Rathi, Soil Specialist and Consultant Dr. Qazi Suleman Memon, Chairman Soil Sciences Department Dr. Inayatullah Rajpar, Dr. Thamina Mustafa Nagraj, Dr. Munir Mangrio, Dr. Mashooq Talpur, Mansoor Umar Khanzada and others were present. (PR)
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