Waterlogging and secondary salinization are major drivers of land degradation in irrigated dryland regions, undermining soil productivity and long-term sustainability. Pakistan’s Indus Basin Irrigation System (IBIS), one of the world’s largest irrigation networks, supports national food security over approximately 16.7 million hectares (Mha). However, large-scale canal irrigation, combined with flat topography, monsoonal recharge, and inefficient water management, has disrupted groundwater balance, leading to persistent shallow water tables and widespread land degradation. Currently, nearly one-third of the irrigated area is affected by groundwater depths of less than 3 m. This review synthesizes six decades of waterlogging development and management in the IBIS, analyzing the evolution of drainage infrastructure, salinity control strategies, groundwater exploitation, and institutional reforms within a land sustainability perspective. Although large-scale interventions—including 61 Salinity Control and Reclamation Projects (SCARPs) and major outfall systems—initially reclaimed substantial areas, long-term performance has been constrained by governance fragmentation, inadequate operation and maintenance, and environmentally problematic effluent disposal. The Indus Basin experience underscores the need to move beyond infrastructure-centered solutions towards more integrated land–water governance and adaptive management to enhance land system resilience in irrigated regions facing growing climatic and resource pressures.
Aslam et al. (Fri,) studied this question.