Muhammad Saleem

The farming community of Faisalabad is facing acute canal water shortage and calling for revamping the existing irrigation system to resolve this contentious problem. Talking to WealthPK, Kashif Hussain, a farmer from Chak Lasharian, said scores of people of his commune were irrigating their lands with the help of electricity, diesel or solar-powered tube-wells but it was costing them a lot. “Canal water costs us nothing, as we have to pay a nominal annual fee but in case of tube-well, a farmer has to spend over Rs10,000 to irrigate just one acre of land. In my village, the old drain system is working but it needs revamping to enhance production and lessen the miseries of farmers,” he said. As per record, the mega irrigation network of the Punjab caters to 21.71 million acres (8.79 million hectares) of cultivable command area. Over 50% of agricultural output comes from the farmlands irrigated by one of the largest irrigation systems in the world. “The government should launch a survey to assess the canal water supplies. This approach will surely resolve the water related issues of the farming community and enhance productivity,” Kashif Hussain added.

Abdul Haq, a Sargodha Road farmer, said water scarcity and its theft was exposing the farmers to various issues.“When a farmer does not receive enough water to irrigate his land timely, how can he get a good crop? This situation will push the farmers to a poor economic condition and they will have to opt for alternative ways to earn their livelihood,” he said. “One can check from the record that water sharing is a bone of contention among the people whose lands share their boundaries. Multiple times, this problem has led to fierce clashes. Besides, water distribution is uneven, requiring government's attention to resolve this issue on a permanent basis so that the farmers can focus on agriculture.” Shahid Iqbal, an agricultural expert, said water scarcity was a big issue for the farmers and required immediate solution. He said tailenders were the most vulnerable, who had to compromise crop production. He said the shared land boundaries were also creating problems, which often create feuds among the neighbours.

He said the farmers sometimes intentionally damage the culvert of nearby fields so that they could get more water quickly. He said Pakistan once had an abundance of water but now the situation was going from bad to worse. “The people at the helm seem not serious in tackling this issue. Most of the tasks are done on paper rather than doing something practical,” he added. Sabi, another farmer, said the existing irrigation system was not effectively catering to their needs although the size of agricultural land was decreasing apace with every passing day due to the mushrooming housing colonies. “Our irrigation system is decades-old, suffering from significant losses due to poor water management and leakages. Owing to this situation, we are losing a major portion of water, which is much-needed for irrigation,” he added.

Credit: INP-WealthPk