Socio-ecology of saline groundwater: Integration of aquaculture within drainage systems as marketable produce in developing countries

Drainage is prerequisite for sustainable irrigated agriculture, and drainage system is used to dispose of the drainage effluent away from the irrigated areas. However, most of the drainage systems, especially in the developing countries, are rapidly deteriorating due to inadequate funding and subsequent deferred maintenance by the public sector. Therefore, governments have increasingly started to involve the local communities in the management of these poorly functioning systems under public institutions. However, to attract local communities in drainage systems, it is essential to create niches for their economic benefits from these systems. In the past, these drainage systems are rarely viewed as an economic resource. Indeed drainage effluent may have particular benefits such as freedom from pollution and parasites and warmer temperatures in winter that would promote aquaculture (the production of fish (e.g., tilapia), crustacea (e.g., prawns and shrimps), molluscs (e.g., shellfish), and aquatic plants or algae) within these drainage systems. Of course there will be the concern of pesticides in drainage effluent. But this can be monitored. In this review paper, the potential of drainage effluent-cultured tilapia is explored within drainage system of the Lower Indus Basin (LIB), Pakistan. This integration of aquaculture within drainage systems will give a new dimension to the socio-ecological value of drainage effluent through advancement of multiple uses of these drainage systems reaping economic benefits as marketable produce. Thereby, promoting 'drainage entrepreneurship' as an incentive-driven option to facilitate operation and maintenance of drainage systems by the private sector.