The concept of equity of water distribution is widely used in assessment of irrigation water management performance; but in reality there is considerable confusion between the concepts of equity and equality. This research forms part of a larger study of Farmer Managed Irrigation in Sind Province.

"This study examines irrigation development and agrarian change in the lower Indus basin during the past 150 years. Sindh, one of the constituent provinces of Pakistan, is located in the lower Indus river basin. The British captured Sindh in 1843 from local Mirs (rulers) and governed it for the next hundred years. Its annexation to the Bombay Presidency of British India triggered a process of irrigation infrastructure and institutional development that has continued after it became a constituent province of Islamic Republic of Pakistan in 1947. The main argument of this study is that during the last 150 years, agrarian changes in Sindh have been triggered by irrigation infrastructure development, initiated and supported by the state. It further argues that although large-scale irrigation facilities have expanded the irrigated land area and improved agricultural production during this period, the relations of production in agriculture have continued without much change"--P. 27-28.

Water sustenance and management are central development challenges facing Pakistan today. This report argues for dramatic changes in policy and approach to enable Pakistan to maintain and build new infrastructure, besides securing the water required for future generations. Focusing on two basic issuesthe countrys major water-related challenges, and ways of addressing themthe report calls for reinvigorated public water policies and institutions to sustain water development and management in the future by: Exploring the evolution of water management in Pakistan Describing past achievements and their relevance in the current context Analyzing existing challenges Suggesting ways of evolving a sustainable water management system The report draws heavily on a set of companion reports by Pakistan water experts and policy analysts. These reports are presented in the accompanying CD and provide in-depth analyses of: The interface between water and agriculture, energy, environment, growth, and poverty Drinking water, sanitation, drainage and salinity, flood, dams, groundwater, and water balance management Water-related rights and entitlements, reforms, and resources and institutions

This study, Indus basin of Pakistan: the impacts of climate risks on water and agriculture was undertaken at a pivotal time in the region. The weak summer monsoon in 2009 created drought conditions throughout the country. This followed an already tenuous situation for many rural households faced with high fuel and fertilizer costs and the impacts of rising global food prices. Then catastrophic monsoon flooding in 2010 affected over 20 million people, devastating their housing, infrastructure, and crops. Damages from this single flood event were estimated at US dollar 10 billion, half of which were losses in the agriculture sector. Notwithstanding the debate as to whether these observed extremes are evidence of climate change, an investigation is needed regarding the extent to which the country is resilient to these shocks. It is thus timely, if not critical, to focus on climate risks for water, agriculture, and food security in the Indus basin of Pakistan.