Agronomic-Interventions

ACTIONS FOR REHABILITATION OF FLOOD HIT AREAS

By Dr. Fahd Rasul, Dr Abdul Khaliq

Agronomic interventions:ACTIONS FOR REHABILITATION OF FLOOD HIT AREAS

  1. Ensuring stakeholders participation in all decision making for post flood rehabilitation is must.
  2. Measure the flood water receding rate so optimum interventions could be applied variably for slow receding areas and vice versa.
  3. Spread of fish seed as much available to tackle mosquito and other water borne pests and reduction of water borne diseases.
  4. Plantation of Sugarcane in affected areas,
  5. Eucalyptus (Sufaida cultivation) as an agro-forestry option to tackle this menace.
  6. Aquatic crops (Azola, Water Chestnut (Sanghara), Algae) to be grown on standing water to produce fodder for surviving animals and it will reduce water borne disease burden too.
  7. For filtering water, biosand filters should be installed which doesn’t require energy, Use of charcoal/biochar and sand to filter water has been a primitive practice and need of time.
  8. Solar stoves can be useful in meeting basic energy demand like for boiling water etc.
  9. Small bunds around surviving trees may be made to protect them from oxygen depletion in root zone.
  10. Low lying areas may be converted to pits/ small dug wells for minor drainage and reclaim some area.
  11. According to site sub surface drainage be planned and field layout be changed for drainage planning and rehabilitation at field level where possible.
  12. Ducks and poultry kits may be provided in such areas to rehabilitate, enrich soil and meet food requirement partially from eggs.
  13. Seed storage Jars may be shared with them for storing the left over seed. Or keeping the seed till have to wait for water to recede.
  14. Water advisory to be continuously updated as per sites.

By Fahd Rasul

Dr Fahd Rasul is Associate professor of Agronomy working on Agroclimatology lab, department of Agronomy, University of Agriculture Faisalabad. He is Fulbright Scholar and alumni from Washington State University. He got PhD degree from South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China. He works on Rice and major field crops. Serving as Member Rice Research and Development board of Agriculture Department, Government of Punjab.