Pakistan has extended a satellite-based irrigation allocation system across the Lower Bari Doab Canal (LBDC) network in Punjab, covering about 675,000 hectares—or 13.3 million kanals—of farmland, after an initial pilot on canals in the Balloki–Okara division.
Experts at a workshop at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) said satellite data and mathematical optimisation could make irrigation water distribution fairer and more efficient by matching deliveries more closely to what crops need. The gathering marked completion of the third phase of a three-year project supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which finances development projects across Asia.
How the satellite irrigation tool works
The project seeks to update the operational rules that decide how irrigation water is shared. It combines satellite-based estimates of Relative Water Deficit (RWD)—a measure of how short crops are of water—with mathematical optimisation. The module then recommends allocations for coming rotations, while still respecting existing rotation priorities and day-to-day operating limits.
In the keynote, Dr S. A. Prathapar, a water management consultant to the ADB, argued that modernising irrigation means more than building canals. “When we think about modernizing the irrigation system, we only think about building a canal. But we have to modernize the software behind it. The rules behind it. And that’s what this project is about,” he said.
He noted that older delivery checks can show whether authorities released the planned volume of water, but not whether crops actually received enough. Satellite deficit estimates are meant to close that gap when managers plan the next rotation.
Food security, climate pressure and fairness
Dr Abubakr Muhammad of LUMS said Pakistan’s irrigation network remains central to food security and rural livelihoods, yet faces growing strain from climate change, uncertain water supply and higher farming costs, especially energy. He said satellite remote sensing, near-real-time monitoring and decision-support tools can give managers practical advice based on water shortages at field and canal level. “These tools also allow us to be equitable, to be just, to be fair,” he said, adding that technology must sit alongside social concerns, water governance and fair sharing.
Ryutaro Takaku-Bessho, ADB principal water resource specialist, said the bank remains engaged in Pakistan’s agriculture and water work, including climate vulnerability, food security and rural resilience. Beyond physical works, he said, ADB is supporting this project’s focus on the operational rules that run the government’s large water networks.
Who took part and what comes next
Technical sessions covered how the system is built. Waqas Karim Awan of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) presented satellite methods for estimating crop water needs. Dr Hassan Jaleel of LUMS discussed the near-real-time Rotation Advisory Module (RAM). Dr Athar Ashraf outlined linking RAM with the Punjab Irrigation Department’s Irrigation Decision Support System (IDSS), including how it might be used in daily operations.
Officials from the Punjab Irrigation and Agriculture Departments, the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), the Ministry of Water Resources, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO)—Pakistan’s space agency—and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) attended. Participants talked about wider rollout, institutional roles, further validation, farmer engagement, and using rainfall forecasts so advice can respond better when field conditions change.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Punjab ke Lower Bari Doab Canal ke ilaqe mein ab satellite se paani ki kami dekhi jaati hai aur us hisaab se rotation suggest ki jati hai. Pehle Balloki–Okara ke kuch canals par azmaish hui, phir yeh system bari scale par lagaya gaya. Maqsad yeh hai ke faslon ko zarurat ke mutabiq paani mile aur taqseem zyada munsef ho. Kisanon ke liye seedha matlab yeh ho sakta hai ke paani ki planning behtar ho, lekin abhi wider adoption aur farmer engagement ki baat chal rahi hai.
