Irrigation

Irrigation
Originally uploaded by gaikokujinkyofusho.

Well this photo was supposed to show some basic surface irrigation but taking pictures from a speeding vehicle ain't easy so the photo ended up looking more like a mini swamp. To the right is a pile of straw (probably wheat, more on that later) and to the left I *think* are grapes.

In Afghanistan I have been appalled (though I totally understand the reasoning) by the grossly inefficient use of water, especially considering that most of the country is very arid.

Surface irrigation is the simplest form of irrigation to implement (how well its implemented is a different story) so in rural areas with little to no access to other irrigation technologies (not to mention little access to money) the decision to use surface irrigation is understandable.

The use of water here kind of reminds me of when I worked at my university computer lab, when I first started working they had a policy of free printing but it was insane how much paper people used and how frivolously they used it, I think the same applies here. When water is available they just use it without considering the long term (I'm talking months, not some 100 years later) consequences.

All that is not to say they don’t have some pretty nifty/creative irrigation technologies like Kareezes (which I hope to get a photo of later on).