The desilting of canals in the tehsil has begun after some delay.
The canal system established for the supply of water required for agriculture in Pakistan is one of the few major systems in the world.
The soil included in canal water is undoubtedly very useful for fertilizing agricultural lands, but this soil accumulates in the river and obstructs the flow of water.
In order to maintain the flow of canal water, all the canals of the province are closed for one month in January each year in connection with the desilting campaign so that uninterrupted supply of canal water can be ensured for irrigation of agricultural lands at the end of canals.
According to the farmers' organizations, the desilting campaign of the canals and rajabas of Chichawatni started late by a fortnight this year due to what the farmers’ organization alleged “negligence and carelessness of the irrigation department”. Moreover, the pace of work was very slow, said the farmers.
The farming community was deeply disturbed by the delay and slowdown in the desilting campaign because there was a strong fear that the obstruction in timely availability of canal water would affect wheat production.
In such a situation, The Express Tribune was given the unique honour to highlight the farmers’ concerns.
Immediately after the publication of the news by The Express Tribune, the irrigation department of Sahiwal intensified the pace of the desilting campaign by using heavy machinery.
Farmers Chaudhry Saeed Rasheed, Chaudhry Javed Iqbal, Chaudhry Muhammad Rafiq, Chaudhry Arshad Gujjar, Rana Munir Ahmed and others expressed their gratitude to The Express Tribune for highlighting their cause.
They termed the situation alarming and said that timely supply of canal water should be ensured to the farmers during the month of February, or it would have a devastating effect on the wheat crop.
In this regard an official of the irrigation department of district Sahiwal, Sheikh Omar Abrar, said that the impression of delay and slowness was wrong. He said that the cleaning work of all the branches, including 12L branch, was going on at a satisfactory pace.
On the other hand, public, social and farmers' organizations demanded of the Chief Minister of Punjab, Usman Buzdar, to take notice of the delayed start of canal desilting campaign and said that more effective measures should be taken to complete the desilting campaign within the stipulated time.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 5th, 2022.
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