The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), a global research-for-development organization, has installed a state of the art technology of Eddy Covariance (EC) Flux Tower in Manshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to promote climate resilient farming besides enhancing tea yield in the area.
“The cutting-edge modern scientific system has been installed at National Tea & High Value Crops Research Institute (NTHRI) Shinkiari to improve tea cultivation through collection of precise data on water consumption, soil health and gas emission,” informed Naqash Abbasi, Senior Research Officer IWMI.
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Talking to a group of newsmen from Peshawar during a filed trip to NTHRI, Naqash said Eddy Covariance (EC) Flux Tower is a sophisticated monitoring system that will provide precise data on water and energy fluxes, critical for understanding the interplay between farming practices and the environment.
The data received from this modern equipment will not only help in improving tea yield and its quality but also other high value agriculture products being grown at NTHRI including olive and kiwi, he added.
The initiative has been taken by IWMI under its Water Resource Accountability Programme (WRAP) launched with the support from Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and CGIAR’s Nexus Gains Initiative.
“IWMI has already introduced this technology for the first time in Pakistan in five districts of Punjab including Chakwal, Okhara, Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad and Charsadda districts,” says Engr, Naeem Khan, Advisor IWMI Pakistan.
These EC towers are tracking 70+ variables including critical water, carbon, and energy fluxes across key agricultural zones equipping us with essential data to drive sustainable, data-informed solutions in agriculture, he added.
Every EC flux tower is equipped with advanced sensors such as CO2, H2O analysers and net radiometers, providing direct and continuous measurement of water usage (evapotranspiration), energy consumption and carbon emission associated with specific crops within a radius of 200 to 500 meters.
The information collected from EC flux towers is critical for developing strategies to optimize water use efficiency, reduce carbon footprints and enhance overall sustainability in agricultural production, he reiterated.
“Pakistan is the only country in South Asian region where EC Flux Tower has been installed for continuous measurement of the exchange of gases and energy between the land surface and the atmosphere,” claims Engr Kifayat Zaman, Team Lead WRAP KP.
The high resolution temporal data collected through EC flux towers allow researchers and policymakers to respond to short-term environmental events and make informed decisions on water management practices, Kifayat told journalists.
Furthermore, the flux tower system helps in creating more accurate inventory of greenhouse gas emission from irrigated crops, aiding efforts to mitigate climate change impacts in the region.
Apart from installation of EC Flux Towers, IWMI has also provided 62 Chameleon Soil Moisture Sensors to supporting farmers in Manshera and Charsadda districts with data driven decisions at critical growth stages through real time soil moisture tacking, he added.
The sensors prevent water overuse and minimize crop water stress besides enhancing resilience against extreme weather.
In order to address key water resource challenges in Mashera district, the organization (IWMI) has installed Solar Powered Drip Irrigation system in Hazara university by utilizing rainwater harvesting.
About 6000 gallon water is stored in tanks to ensure effective use by making `every drop count’ through drip irrigation system and soil moisture sensors.
IWMI is also working on development of Surface and Groundwater Management Information System to support Water Services Regulatory Authority.
Under the FCDO-funded WRAP project, IWMI has been actively contributing to Institutional Strengthening and Capacity Building in Khyber Pakhtunkwa, Kifayat remarked.
