It relates to the physical distance between the causes and effects of
salinisation.
Although horticultural and cotton enterprises at Hillston had the same access to good quality irrigation water sources during the study period, higher EC values and statistically significant temporal increases in EC were observed in soils under the horticulture land use, suggesting that the amount of irrigation water used was not a cause of
salinisation. Instead, it is plausible that this
salinisation trend is a result of the use of certain fertilisers containing various salts (Darwish et al.
Dr Gul said that about 11% of the world's irrigated areas are affected by
salinisation. The continuous expansion of salt-affected land is highest in some of the most populated and economically challenged countries, such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, posing a serious threat to sustainable agricultural production, she said.
The decline of wheat production and the cultivation of more robust grains such as rice and barley point to an increasing
salinisation of the soil.
disease and heat stress) that reduce the productivity and availability of agricultural labour * Greater threats to livestock health * Reduced quantity and reliability of agricultural yields * Greater need for cooling/refrigeration to maintain food quality and safety * Greater threat of wildfires Shifting agricultural * Reduced quantity and quality of agricultural yields and seasons forest products * Either an excess or shortage of water * Greater need for irrigation Sea level rise * Damage to coastal fisheries * Direct loss of cultivable land due to inundation and
salinisation of soil *
Salinisation of water sources
Most chefs from top hotels care about what is served to their customers; they would consider the acidity and
salinisation within the water."
Erosion, nutrient depletion, acidification,
salinisation, compaction and chemical pollution have left 33% of the world's soils either moderately or highly degraded.
Impacts such as proliferation of water-borne diseases as is documented every summer, seawater intrusion and
salinisation of coastal areas of Sindh, eco-degradation of watersheds of the Indus and glacial decline, are all problems that Pakistan continues to battle and the apparent lack of political will to address these challenges head on is exacerbating the intensity of these issues.
(1) Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands already had up to 25 per cent of their population migrate internally, due mainly to
salinisation, ie, salt seeping into the water table due to sea level rise.
Customary measures are being taken to reduce soil erosion, wind damage, and increasing
salinisation. Will they work?
The rising evaporation rate reduces the recharge to maintain ground water balance but at the cost of serious soil
salinisation (WAPDA 1990).
Recharged groundwater, the reported notes, is a good water source, and can also help prevent
salinisation of existing wells and prevents or reduces salt water intrusion.
