IMPACT OF WATER CHANNELS ON AGRICULTURAL EXPANSIONS IN GILGIT: A CASE STUDY OF SONI-YUP CONSTRUCTED BY JAWAR KHATOON

Abstract

Since ancient times, the traditional agriculture has been a major source of livelihood and a contributor to the local economy of Gilgit Baltistan. Hence, an intricate network of irrigation canals has been developed in the region to fulfill agricultural needs. Queen Jawar Khatoon, locally known as Dadi Jawari showed great vision and courage for she constructed two Grand canals in the Gilgit city which turned out to be the catalyst of modern-day demographic and agricultural development of the city, despite the denial of locals to help her in constructing these canals. However, the uncontrolled and unplanned urbanization, absence of proper sewerage system and negligence of administration to conserve and extend the range of canals have not only affected the water quality but also the utilization for irrigation and drinking purposes. The research was aimed at exploring the role of Dadi Jawari in demographic and agricultural expansion of Gilgit city particularly through constructing these canals, their current utilization and efficiency besides looking into the impact of pollution on water quality, impediments of traditional irrigation system and suggesting measures for alleviating those challenges. An on-field survey and interviews with locals and prominent historians were conducted in this regard. The administrative machineary needs to take robust measures through comprehensive planning to preserve these historical canals and ensuring sustainable agricultural growth. Besides, community-based initiatives are also imperative in this regard