Optimising canal and groundwater management to assist water user associations in maximizing crop production and managing salinisation in Australia and Pakistan: Final report

The Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority (PIDA) in Pakistan operates and maintains one of the largest irrigation canal systems in the world. However the system now requires major rehabilitation and improvement to meet present-day demands. Recent analyses show that the inequity of water distribution between head-enders and tail-enders is closely correlated to decreasing yields and increasing salinity with increasing distance from the canal This project will identify opportunities for equitable distribution of canal and groundwater to improve livelihoods through maximising crop production and managing salinisation in irrigated landscapes. The project team will develop tools capable of analysing hydrological and economic water management trade-off scenarios, use the results to develop improved canal and groundwater management options, then give support in implementing the improvements.