Soil Conservation in River Swat Watershed North West Frontier Province (NWFP) Pakistan
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Date
2007
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Department of Environmental Sciences
Abstract
River Swat watershed which is also known as Swat Valley is situated in the northern half of North
West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. It is a combination of three districts, namely Malakand,
Dir Lower and Swat was studied during 2004-07. These districts, especially Swat has got
tremendous contribution in forestry, agriculture, horticulture and tourism. However, because of
mismanagement, ignorance and lack of awareness, the quality of land resources is deteriorating day
by day. Agricultural practices (over use of agro-chemicals), mining and tourisms are the various
human activities, which affect soil quality in terms of habitat loss, deforestation, soil erosion and
contamination.
In this study an attempt has been made to investigate different aspects of River Swat watershed with
special reference to soil conservation. For this purpose literature and questionnaire surveys were
conducted and were crosschecked with the results obtained in the laboratory. For laboratory analysis
212 soil-samples were collected from 100 villages. Theses samples were analyzed for soil texture,
pH, conductivity and water-soluble contents. Out of 212 samples, 63 samples (30%) were analyzed
for important anions and cations. Anions like Nitrate, sulfate, phosphate, and chloride while in
cations calcium, iron, zinc, cadmium and molybdenum were determined. To evaluate the soil for
contamination, selected samples (6% of the total) were analyzed for pesticides. For interview and
questionnaire survey, 50 villages were selected. During the questionnaire survey, Participatory
Rural Appraisal (PRA) techniques were also used. Soil erosion was estimated indirectly by
analyzing river swat for suspended load. Three samples per month were collected from Chakadara,
the end point of river Swat. Discharge data were colleted form Water and Power Development
Authority (WAPDA), Pakistan.